Forget David Haye, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury or any others. Anthony Joshua is the saviour of heavyweight boxing.
The British fighter meets Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium this Saturday, and the world will be watching. Bouts of such magnitude are always tough to call but, the fact Joshua is marginal favourite with bookies (odds provided by 888sport) to overcome a legend of the sport, demonstrates just how far he has come.
Klitschko's reign as heavyweight champion was as successful as it was boring, dull, dry - you get my drift. The heavyweight division supremacy shifted towards Eastern Europe with the Klitschko bros and Alexander Povetkin, to name but a few, dominating the scene.
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Though the division has gone through a resurgence in recent years as a result of Klitschko being dethroned, and supposed saviours bursting onto the scene.
We first had Haye. After completing the cruiserweight jigsaw by unifying the division, the Bermondsey-fighter claimed a world title yet failed in his attempt to dethrone the Ukrainian.
While an American got his hands on a heavyweight world crown - as well as Charles Martin, among others - Deontay Wilder's padded record should ring alarm bells.
Then Tyson Fury did the unthinkable by unseating Klitschko, though his unfortunate problems outside of the ring have derailed his plans from becoming his nation's undisputed star.
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But enter Anthony Joshua.
(Joshua will be seeking to make a hat-trick of world title defences on Saturday night. Image: PA)
The 6 ft 6 in brick-shit house has rampaged his way through 18 opponents, and is just the man to bring back the glory days to the storied division.
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Joshua brings a certain intensity and killer instinct. Something that's been dead in the division since the W.Klitschko took over.
The combination of his unerring speed, married with the myriad of punch variety has forged a deadly concoction of brilliance thus bringing the eyes back to the heavyweight division.
In 18 professional fights, he's scored 18 straight knockout wins becoming one of the biggest draws in boxing and is already one of the main attractions in British sport.
He may be humble outside of the ropes, but when he steps under them bright lights Joshua reveals his spiteful and menacing side.
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And there is plenty of clamour ahead of his next fight against Klitschko.
(Joshua and Klitschko come face-to-face ahead of fight night on Saturday. Image: PA)
90,000 will flock to the Home of Football and the fight is expected to smash UK pay-per-view records with a massive television audience.
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Not to mention the situation across the pond. American juggernauts HBO and Showtime are both airing the fight. The two television channels have only done so for two previous fights.
Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis and Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao. Joshua is in good company.
Sure, the threat posed by Klitschko is a big selling point. The common denominator of the pair of Olympic gold medalists is their brute power. If anything Klitschko's right hand is arguably one of the biggest equalizers in the sport, though it's Joshua's speed and timing which will set up his openings.
Still, Joshua is on a springboard to becoming the heir to the heavyweight seat. And that's the lure to this fight.
In short, he's young, he's powerful and while haters doubt him as the future of the heavyweight division. He's Anthony Joshua, the aggressive, unbeaten Watford hero who will be showcased again this Saturday night.
Joshua vs. Klitschko will not only have boxing at a standstill, but on April 29th the sporting bubble will also gaze in anticipation as one of the biggest events in the calendar year is just days away.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics:ย Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Wembley Stadium