Promoter Eddie Hearn says Matchroom has no one to replace Anthony Joshua when he retires from the sport. He suspects there won’t be anyone else in the next four to five years who can replicate what 2012 Olympic gold medalist Joshua (28-4, 25 KO) has done since signing with him 11 years ago.

(Source: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)

Hearn thinks AJ will fight for at least another year, two or three fights and then leave. All of these fights are expected to be substantial, with two fights against Tyson Fury and possibly a rematch with Daniel Dubois.

Joshua began his Matchroom career in 2013, knocking out his first 14 opponents in three rounds to the enthusiasm of the British boxing public.

He did not perform well at the 2012 London Olympics, winning several fights by controversial decision, with people outside the UK seeing Joshua as talented due to his fights in England.

Some believe that if these Olympics had been held in a neutral country, Joshua would not have won a medal at all. He would lose to Roberto Cammarelle of Italy, Erislandy Savon of Cuba, Ivan Dychko of Kazakhstan and Zhilei Zhang of China. I watched all these fights and thought Joshua should have lost all four.

At the professional level, Hearn has done a captain’s job of matching Joshua to the right type of opponents to make him look great. It wasn’t until after the Wladimir Klitschko fight that fans started to realize that he wasn’t as good as they thought.

“Financially, we make a lot of money, and every time AJ fights, we do well, but compared to the total revenue, especially the total boxing revenue, it’s a really diminutive part,” Eddie Hearn told Second exit when asked whether Anthony Joshua’s departure would hurt Matchroom financially.

“It is the nature and attitude of this man and the profile of events. Financially it doesn’t make a difference to us, but personally it means a lot to us because it’s been an amazing journey and it means a lot to British fight fans as well.

“So he’s definitely not retiring yet. I think you’ll see him for at least another year, so two or three fights, and then we’ll see. But the next decision will be very essential. I don’t think anyone will honestly ever take his place,” Hearn said when asked who would replace Joshua at his Matchroom boxing stable.

Joshua could retire if he knocks out early in his next fight, whether it’s Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury. If Joshua is stopped in the first three rounds, he will likely hang up the gloves rather than continue to embarrass himself.

“When I say that, people will say, ‘Oh, there are better fighters.’ Yes, maybe, but commercially no one will be able to do what Anthony Joshua has done for boxing, certainly not in the next four to five years,” Hearn said.

Someone could eclipse Joshua commercially within five years, but that will be tough because many fighters tend to slack off once they make a lot of money. Joshua didn’t do it.

Additionally, fighters don’t compete often enough once they start turning a profit, and they can’t augment their commercial status by fighting only once a year. Either they don’t realize it or they are just inactive once they get a bunch of money. Joshua wasn’t inactive, but Hearn chose him well to protect him.

“There is no one in boxing at the moment who can even come close to the size of Anthony Joshua commercially. Hopefully there will be more, but this is certainly a one-off,” Hearn said.

Fans in the UK are much more interested in boxing than in the US and many other countries. After the 2012 Olympics, Joshua would never have been the same star in the States as he was in Britain because he would have had to fight a better opponent.

American fans wouldn’t pay attention to Joshua if he was competing against the tomato cans Hearn put him in during his first 14 fights. Moreover, they wouldn’t make much of a difference that Joshua beat 41-year-old Wladimir Klitschko the way the British public did because they would see that Wlad is ancient.

TERRI Harper is now a three-division world champion after beating Rhiannon Dixon on points at Sheffield’s Park Community Arena. Dixon defended her WBO lightweight title for the first time, which was to be the beginning of a long winning streak. Terri Harper proved otherwise. The judges added up 97-93 (twice) and 96-94, all in favor of the “modern” one.

Harper, supposedly damaged, was on point with her cleaner combinations throughout the first half of the fight. In the closing stages, she used her sharp ring trickery and punch selection to close things out. It was a mature performance by the 27-year-old.

Harper obviously felt the pace as the game wore on, but she still found a home for her robust, correct right hand on the southpaw lead. Dixon rolled up, tried to get underneath and stay occupied, as her head coach, Anthony Crolla, urged her to do.

Fighting with a bloody nose, Dixon was hit with a left hook in the ninth throw as she tried to fight to retain her title. Harper remained tranquil and returned fire to the house. Howard Foster officiated.

“This camp was long, but mentally and physically I became a modern fighter,” said Harper, for whom it was a chance to make one last roll of the dice.

“Just what I needed. I needed a little fire in the gym to keep going.”

Earlier in the evening, Peter McGrail he continued the rebuilding process by demolishing Brad Foster in the second round. Whipping body shots did the damage as Foster staggered to the canvas. McGrail has challenged British and European super bantamweight champion Dennis McCann to a fight early next year.

At the Battle of Georges, Billericay Jerzy Liddard he stopped York’s George Davey in the fifth round of a scheduled eighth.

Galal Yafai he kept his Nov. 30 date with Destin, aka Clear Edwards, alive by stopping Mexico’s Sergio Orozco Oliva in the third round of eight.

Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas (20-0, 12 KO) wanted to end the Mayer vs. Ryan fight with a break, but the robust Damian Sosa (25-3, 12 KO) did not give up easily and pushed the team. The 22-year-old will settle for a unanimous decision to exclude (100-90, 3x).

Zayas quickly found his rhythm, already in the third round he relied on punches and responded to Sosa’s pressure with pointed counterattacks. Whenever Sosa attacked, Zayas responded with precise power shots, alternating between the body and the head.

In the middle rounds, Zayas had the complete advantage, hitting Sosa with a right hand in the sixth over. Despite trying to reach the finish line, Zayas was unable to push Sosa away as the Mexican fighter persevered until the final bell.

Zayas said: “He pushed me and took me to the next level. Now I feel like I’m ready. I felt like I was ready before. But now I think I’ve let everyone know I’m ready for elite names.

“Man, they said he threw 84 punches a round. I didn’t see it today. I did my job. Now I need to serene down, relax and see what my promoter wants. I want whoever is in the top five.”

Brooklyn-born featherweight Bruce Carrington took a hard-fought 10-round majority decision over Ugandan challenger Sulaiman Segawa by scores of 95-95 and 97-93, twice.

Segawa (17-5-1, 6 KO) entered the fight with increased confidence after his victory over Ruben Villa in July. He wanted to repeat this success against Carrington (13-0, 8 KO), catching him with quick counterattacks in the first rounds.

Carrington found his rhythm in the third and fourth rounds, charging forward with a concentrated, full-body attack. Segawa responded in the fifth, however, and the two rushed back and forth, jockeying for position and exchanging single shots while avoiding counterattacks.

Segawa landed more punches throughout the fight (416-358), although he gave up in the final round. Carrington earned 10th place on all three judges’ cards.

Carrington said, “I owe him a lot {for this education today}. This will just take me to the next level. I just learned to deal with the irregular pace. I have a few things I need to work on at the gym. We need to get back on track and play more dominantly. But as long as we get a ‘W’ at the end of the day, we’re still good.”

Further results

Junior middleweight: Vito Mielnicki Jr. (20-1, 12 KO) from Recent Jersey made his MSG debut after a hard-fought and deserved 10-round majority decision against Italian Khalil El Harraz (16-6-1, 2 KO). Mielnicki tried to keep the fight at bay, but El Harraz often reduced the advantage. As the action moved inside, Mielnicki responded with precise body shots to maintain control. Scores: 95-95, 100-90 and 98-92.

Bantamweight: Floyd Diaz (13-0, 3 KO) defeated Mario Hernandez (12-5-1, 4 KO) after eight rounds. Diaz counterattacked and checked left hooks to keep the aggressive Hernandez at bay, then knocked him down in the fifth with a perfectly timed right uppercut. Diaz reached the finish line, but the brave Mexican veteran persevered until the final bell. Scores: 78-73 2x and 77-74.

Junior welterweight: Dominican Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KO) secured an impressive 10-round unanimous decision victory over Kendo Castañeda (21-7, 9 KO). Rodriguez took over the fight with body shots in the fourth round, followed by a series of powerful punches in the fifth round that caused a cut above Castaneda’s left eye. Scores: 100-90 2x and 99-91.

Junior welterweight: Tiger Johnson (14-0, 6 KO) overcame the toughest challenge of his career to date, defeating Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo (22-3-1, 13 KO) by eight round unanimous decision. Johnson dealt with Alamo’s clumsy style with footwork and clinch, then unleashed pointed counterattacks from the outside. Scores: 78-74 2x and 77-75.

Junior welterweight: Dominican Olympian Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KO) defeated Argentine veteran Marcelino Lopez (37-5-1, 22 KO) in the sixth round. Polanco gave Lopez the first knockdown of his 17-year career with a pointed right uppercut in the third quarter. Lopez survived, but Polanco forced him to kneel twice in the sixth set, leading to referee Eddie Claudio stopping the fight at 2:08.