“I heard he doesn’t have a chin,” the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said, ahead of his fight against the former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you were rooting for, Ngannou didn’t have a chance to test his chin as he was knocked out cold in the second round of their crossover fight in Riyadh. But, over fourteen years of his professional career, AJ’s chin has been tested in crucial fights. Whether it was Andy Ruiz Jr., Wladimir Klitschko, or Oleksandr Usyk, all of them threw bombs at Joshua. Nonetheless, he was able to withstand the test and went the distance with almost all the fighters, barring one. So, does the perception that Joshua has a weak chin hold true?

The 34-year-old heavyweight boxer has the opportunity to become world champion again. After Usyk reluctantly relinquished his IBF belt due to his rematch with Tyson Fury, Joshua will go up against Daniel Dubois. The interim IBF champion was elevated to the status of world champion last month. It is going to be an all-British showdown on September 21, 2024, in Wembley Stadium. Before the clash, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, sat down with Seconds Out to dismantle the perception that AJ has a weak chin.

How well can Anthony absorb power shots?

In the interview with Seconds Out, Eddie Hearn waxed lyrical on AJ’s ability to hold up against massive power punches from his opponents. “AJ has a really, really good chin. Watch the shots AJ took in the Wladimir Klitschko fight. The right hand that would’ve decapitated a normal man, AJ got up from.” 

AJ’s path to becoming the unified heavyweight champion of the world wasn’t easy. He had to face the legendary Ukrainian fighter, Wladimir Klitschko. The right cross from Klitschko gave Joshua problems throughout the fight. Then came one perfectly timed devastating swing from Klitschko in the sixth round, which knocked Joshua down on the canvas. However, the British heavyweight boxer was able to recover from that and went on to win the fight.

And, who can forget the Andy Ruiz Jr. fight? As Hearn rightly pointed out, “Even vs Andy Ruiz, he kept getting up.” 

An all-out close-quarter brawl with the undersized heavyweight Ruiz proved costly for the two-time former unified heavyweight champion as he was knocked down twice by a barrage of punches. Nonetheless, he was still able to survive four more rounds until Ruiz’s onslaught was too much for AJ to take and the referee had to step in and stop the fight.

Last but not least is Joshua’s fight against Uysk. As Hearn said, “Oleksandr Usyk hit him with the kitchen sink and he never had him out. Look what happened to Tyson Fury, never saw AJ like that in that fight. AJ’s got a great chin.” 

Although Usyk put in a boxing clinic against Anthony Joshua, the two-time undisputed champion never had him hurt. Joshua was able to withstand the power punches and was able to go the distance with the Ukranian in both fights. Safe to say, the 34-year-old British boxer has been hit with some good shots in his career, and he did fare quite well.

Meanwhile, Joshua has urged a knockout artist in the MMA realm to make the switch to boxing.

Can you see ‘Poatan’ in boxing?

Following Alex Pereira’s devastating KO of Jiri Prochazka in the rematch to reign supreme in the light-heavyweight division, Anthony Joshua wrote on X, “Alex Pereira should make a boxing debut one day,”

The two-division champion is currently lighting up the combat sports world with his devastating KOs. In just 13 fights, he has nine knockout wins and four first-round finishes. Currently, in the light-heavyweight division, he has three back-to-back early knockout wins. He has a mean left hook, which, if properly connected, will be lights out for the opponent.

Nonetheless, do you think Anthony Joshua has a good chin? Moreover, do you think Pereira should make the switch to boxing? Could you go out on a limb and see a boxing match happen between AJ and ‘Poatan’? Let us know in the comment section below.