Ahead of his fight with Denis Bakhtov at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night, the Anthony Joshua bandwagon was somewhere in between second and third gear, but after he required just four minutes to blast out an opponent who hadn't been legitimately stopped in nine years, that bandwagon is now threatening to hit top speed a lot sooner than anticipated.
The experienced Russian had been brought in with the idea of providing Joshua with some rounds as he continues his transition from an amateur to professional, but the nature of his performance at the weekend has only heightened calls for the Olympic gold medallist to be put in with the best that Great Britain has to offer.
Away from the ring, Joshua portrays a man who is aware of the work that it takes to make inroads in a brutal sport and who can acknowledge that his development is going to be under constant scrutiny, but the merciless display that he delivered against Bakhtov will have only created more comparisons to the nation's other heavyweight champions.
That's something that comes with the territory of being Olympic champion, but while we can all begin to look forward to some stellar fights in the future, there's still the need to err on the side of caution when hyping up Joshua before he is within touching distance of challenging for a world title. The Watford-born fighter couldn't have been more impressive than he has been but we are still potentially 18 months away from seeing him in contention to replicate the achievements of the likes of Lennox Lewis and David Haye.
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Promoter Eddie Hearn will be ecstatic with the progression of Joshua since he dismantled Emanuele Leo on his debut in the paid ranks a little over a year ago, but it's provided him with a match-making headache. He will be keen to meet the demands of the public, but at the same time, he will also stress the importance of not putting Joshua into a high-profile domestic showdown without the necessary experience.
The problem comes from the qualities that Joshua is already displaying. The speed, power and accuracy in which he is throwing his punches will make potential opponents think twice about stepping into a ring with him. Game plans can be set for Joshua but unless you have a good chin or you are mobile, they will soon get ripped up because one punch can put you in survival mode or force you to swing and miss, leaving an opening to be knocked out.
No boxer will come out and publicly shun a chance to face Joshua, but because of the statement that was made on Saturday night, they will now demand more money to show up to realistically add another defeat to their record, so while it's beneficial for Joshua to be putting decent fighters away with minimal fuss, it's not all rosy from a promotional perspective.
It's a similar issue to what Deontay Wilder would have faced in the United States. The American has been protected on his way to earning the mandatory position for Bermane Stiverne's WBC belt, but it will also come down to possible opponents wanting to be rewarded financially to be placed into a fight where they will probably get knocked out. Golden Boy Promotions have come in for plenty of criticism for their match-making with Wilder, but boxing is as much a business as it is a sport.
A direct comparison between Joshua and Wilder will inevitably be made over the coming months, and it can be argued that Joshua has picked up as much experience in his nine fights as a professional as Wilder has picked up in 32 bouts, but that's not to say that Joshua is as ready for a world title chance as Wilder is. Sportsmen and women progress at different rates and while Joshua is developing at a rapid speed, he's still in the early stages of what will hopefully be a lengthy career at the top of the sport.
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So, if you are Hearn, what route do you pan out for Joshua? The fight with veteran Michael Sprott on November 22 is expected to go ahead, despite Joshua already proving that he is past that level, but all eyes will be on who will step in as Joshua's 11th and 12th opponents in the early part of 2015.
David Price is one of a few names signalled out for a domestic showdown in the summer, so Hearn could attempt to revive talks with Yaroslav Zavorotnyi, who took the Liverpudlian 10 rounds in June. That encounter wouldn't do much to capture the public's imagination, but it's the logical step to add fuel to the fire ahead of a likely match with a fellow Olympian. Given his position with the WBC, Tony Thompson, who has defeated Price on two occasions, could also come under consideration, and is arguably more beneficial to Joshua than overcoming Price.
The loser of the match between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora will also be thrown into the mix for the summer. Their respective promoters will argue the case that Joshua still has work to do to earn a meeting with either man, but if Joshua progresses to 12 or 13 successive victories in the next six to eight months, the bookmakers and British public will regard him as the favourite against either man.
That alone suggests that Joshua is not far away from being in line to headline pay-per-view events in this country - fights with Price, Chisora, and especially Fury, would all do big numbers from a television and financial perspective - but he's not there just yet, and patience, albeit short, is needed for Joshua to arrive at elite level at the correct time and avoid any mishaps during a time when he has an opportunity to succeed Carl Froch has the standard-bearer for boxing in Great Britain.
Darren Plant
