Anthony Joshua is one of the most extraordinary athletes alive today. And until his recent loss to Andy Ruiz, he was on a directly ascending path to becoming one of the greatest ever boxers.
The loss to Ruiz, a shorter, fatter, 25-1 outsider, was a complete shock. The fall for Joshua could barely have been greater.
But his mental response was perfect. If you watch the video above, from 14:45, you can see him, just minutes after the fight, consoling his parents, and already reframing the loss:
You go back to the drawing board. You talk, you watch, you study. And then you become better. You become stronger.Ā
And if you donāt become stronger, you become weaker, and then you stop.Ā But itās your choice.
Do you stop, or do you keep going?
Joshuaās response reminded me of this recent BBC article:
Top athletes have a way of turning pain into rocket fuel. The defeat becomes a reason to push themselves even further the next time.
Michael Jordan famously didnāt make the cut for his varsity team, Cameron Smith didnāt make the QLD U/17s side, and Tom Brady was still in tears about being drafted in the sixth round, even after winning three Super Bowls.
Adversity, and pain, seem to be necessary ingredients to the greatest success.
Iāve always said, donāt let the failures get to your heart, and donāt let success get to your head.
In that sense, Iāve always felt like the beltās never represented me. Iām a man who stands alone.Ā
I make boxing. Boxing doesnāt make me.Ā
I was a man before I held those belts. I was a respectful person before I held those belts.Ā
And, Iāll be the same person when I retire, and those belts arenāt around my waist.Ā
- Anthony Joshua
Quick Links:
The other boxer I follow with fascination is Vasyl Lomachenko, who is technically maybe the best boxer of all-time. See exactly why here and here.
I first fell in love with Joshuaās story in this Netflix documentary about him.
Spoiler Alert: The fight that cemented Joshuaās reputation was this one against Wladimir Klitschko.
Related: The Klitschko documentary is also amazing. Wladimirās big brother Vitali is now the Mayor of Kiev, which is a more amazing story in itself.
Also Related: You should watch Winter on Fire: Ukraineās Fight For Freedom on Netflix.