Anthony Joshua remains undefeated within the world’s heavyweight division.
He has a compiled a professional record of 21-0 and currently holds the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBO belts.
Should the proposed super-fight between AJ and Deontay Wilder go ahead later this year, the division will become unified once again, and the victor would emerge as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Due to AJ’s overwhelming success as a pro, many have forgotten his storied career as an amateur.
He won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, where he defeated Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the final bout, and also took home silver in the Baku 2011 World Championships.
Joshua compiled a 40-3 record during his six-year amateur career, and we will take a look at the three men who managed to conquer the Watford-born bruiser.
Dillian Whyte - 2009
In his first amateur bout in 2009, aged just 20, Dillian Whyte managed to defeat Joshua by unanimous decision over three rounds.
‘The Body Snatcher’ had a short-lived amateur career due to a dispute with the ABA regarding his kickboxing background.
His first pro bout was on 13, May 2011, where he defeated Tatar Mehmed via decision (40-36) in the fourth round.
Whyte continued to make his way through various heavyweight contenders and compiled a 16-0 record when he received a phone call from Eddie Hearn with terms for a fight against Anthony Joshua in December 2015.
Whyte held his own through the first six rounds of the bout, landing a multitude of body shots which winded AJ, but he finally succumbed to an onslaught of power punches to the chin from Joshua, which put him down through the ropes and knocked him out.
Since the defeat, Whyte has bounced back in style, defeating heavyweight veteran Dereck Chisora in a highly anticipated clash that many consider to be one of the best heavyweight bouts of the last decade.
He has beaten both Robert Helenius and Lucas Browne in the past eight months, which gives him an up-to-date record of 23-1. Whyte is confident that his recent performances will allow him back into the conversation of potential title contenders.
Mihai Nistor - 2011
Romanian Mihai Nistor not only beat Anthony Joshua, but knocked out the current WBA, IBF, and WBO champion at the European Amateur Championships in 2011.
Nistor stunned the Brit in the third round of their bout with an onslaught of punches which Joshua had no answer to.
The loss still marks the only time any fighter has knocked out the 2012 Olympic champion.
Since then, Nistor has remained an amateur and recently spoke out and gave his reasoning behind never turning pro: “I don’t do this sport for money.
“I do it for pleasure, because you don’t win if you are motivated by money."
Nistor is well aware that by delaying his move from the amateur to the professional code he risks missing out on some prime fighting years, but his desire to strike Olympic gold keeps on persisting.
He compiled a record of 4-2 for Italia Thunder in the World Series of Boxing, where he was ranked third in the individual rankings, and boasts a win over fellow APB heavyweight Fernando Ghiglione in the competition.
Magomedrasul Medzhidov - 2011
Magomedrasul Medzhidov edged out Joshua in the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships final by a decision of 22:21.
He took home the gold once again in the same event in 2013, garnering a reputation as something of a knockout artist in the Super Heavyweight division.
The Azeri has competed for the Azerbaijan Baku Fires in the World Series of Boxing and also won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as becoming the European Champion in Minsk in 2013.
In 2017, he won the AIBA World Boxing Championships for the third time after defeating Kamshybek Kunkabayev of Kazakhstan 4-1.
It is evident that all three fighters have achieved some success over their careers, but none have come close to the heights that AJ has reached.
Dillian Whyte is the only fighter to have turned pro out of the three, and should he continue his win streak and impressive form, a rematch against AJ will be a near-certainty and perhaps a trip overseas for a bout against Deontay Wilder will be on the cards.