There is something about the heavyweight division that seems to get boxing fans more excited than the others.
While lower weights have produced some of the greatest bouts, a world heavyweight title clash just cannot be topped.
Ali versus Fraiser, Holmes versus Norton, Tyson versus Bruno and more recently Joshua versus Klitschko.
The heavyweight division has been struggling for a number of years – probably since Lennox Lewis retired.
Through no fault of his own, much like Larry Holmes before him, Wladimir Klitschko reigned supreme through an era of underwhelming opponents.
Only recently have we seen evidence of what we hope is resurgence in boxings’ premier division.
Joshua’s rise to stardom has been quick but it is too early to judge where he stands in history. While his closest match is easily Deontay Wilder the jury is still out on the rest of the field.
It seems unlikely that Tyson Fury will reach the heights he has previously and nobody else seems capable of living with either Wilder or Joshua at present. Both Kubrat Pulev and Joseph Parker are far from poor fighters but still there does not seem any real challenge to Joshua and Wilder.
While it is possible that Joshua and Wilder could go head to head in some of the greatest heavyweight clashes ever there is still a strong feeling that Joshua will have far too much for him and that would leave him out there on his own, untested for years.
Daniel Dubois is being tipped for greatness but while he may have knocked Joshua down in sparring, he is a long way off the level being set by his compatriot.
Heavyweight boxing feels like it has a star in Joshua but that legacy will only be cemented if he dispatches Wilder. If that happens it is difficult to see where his next credible challenge is coming from for Joshua and that would be disappointing for a division clamouring to return to the pinnacle of the sport.
