To many, Anthony Joshua’s unsuccessful attempt at becoming a three-time heavyweight belt-holder should force the English fighter into early retirement.
That assertion may not be far-fetched considering the manner in which Joshua was manhandled by opponent Daniel Dubois last Saturday; Joshua had failed to recover from Dubois’ first round right hook that sent him to the canvas, leaving him struggling to find his feet throughout the fight.
Just when he felt he had found his momentum in the fifth round – by landing two quick shots that hurt Dubois – Joshua was sent crushing with a devastating right hand that ended the fight in favor of Dubois.
Despite the showdown being one-sided, it was a thrilling encounter and a well-deserved victory for the 27-year-old Dubois – who made it three consecutive stoppage victories. While Joshua’s camp had expressed their desire to exercise an immediate rematch clause with Dubois – in what could be a mouthwatering encounter next year – the wait for the former’s quest to become a three-time heavyweight boss continues.
At age 34, Joshua does not have the luxury of time and the question still remains if he’s ready to take Dubois’ hard shots when they land.
But Joshua is not the only fighter to have had a failed attempt at becoming a three-time champion and may certainly not be the last…
‘Iron’ Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson remains one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time having reigned from 1986, when he won the WBC strap, to 1990, when he lost all three belts. In one of the biggest sporting upsets in history, Tyson lost to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in Tokyo via a 10th-round KO win in February,1990.
Six years later, Tyson became a two-time champ when he knocked out Frank Bruno in three rounds to win the WBC title. Tyson would go on to beat Bruce Seldon in September, 1996, earning a first round KO, winning the WBA belt in the process.
Tyson lost his belt to Evander Holyfield two months later in an 11th-round TKO defeat. In a rematch, Tyson was disqualified at the end of round three for biting Holyfield on both ears in June, 1997. Tyson had to wait for the next five years to get another opportunity at fighting for the heavyweight championship again.
It was against Lennox Lewis in 2002. This was Tyson’s third and final attempt at becoming a heavyweight titlist which failed after Lewis dominated the bout, knocking Tyson out in eight rounds.
Wladimir Klitschko
Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko first became a world titlist when he decisioned Chris Byrd unanimously to win the WBO belt in Oct. 2000. After five successful defenses spanning three years, Klitschko lost his title to Corrie Sanders in a second round stoppage loss.
He failed to regain his title a year later when he fought Lamon Brewster but Klitschko became a two-time champion in April, 2006 when he knocked out Chris Byrd in seven rounds to annex the IBF title.
After adding the WBO strap in a unanimous decision victory over Sultan Ibragimov in Feb. 2008, and adding the WBA crown after outsourcing David Haye three years later, Klitschko lost to Tyson Fury in 2015. However, he failed to become a three-time champion against Anthony Joshua in April 2017 in a bout for the IBF and WBA titles.
Andre Berto
A former two-time welterweight champ, Andre Berto became a 147-pound titlist in June, 2008 after winning a WBC belt made vacant by Floyd Mayweather Jr. – going on to defend the title for three years before losing it to Victor Ortiz in April, 2011.
On his return five months later, Berto retired Slovenian Jan Zaveck in five to win the IBF welterweight crown. Zaveck’s corner had stopped the fight due to a cut he suffered – a result which made Berto a two-time champ at 147.
Berto refused to defend his new IBF belt against mandatory challenger Randall Bailey, instead opting to avenge his then only career loss to Ortiz. The scheduled June, 2013 rematch fight between Berto and Ortiz was canceled after the former tested positive for a banned substance.
Berto lost consecutively to Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass upon his return. Berto did not give up and forced two quick wins against Steve Upsher Chambers and Josesito Lopez to land himself a September 2015 date with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The WBC 147-pound championship saw Mayweather dominating a one-sided fight and earning a 12-round unanimous decision victory to dash Berto’s hope of becoming a three-time welterweight titlist.
Josh Warrington
Josh Warrington is a two-time featherweight champion, having held the IBF 126-pound title between 2018 and 2022. Warrington first won the IBF belt after decisioning Lee Selby in 12 rounds.
After three successful defenses, Briton Warrington fell short against Mauricio Lara in a ninth round TKO defeat in February 2021. Warrington would go on to exercise a rematch clause but the second fight was called a technical draw.
Warrington came back stronger in March, 2022 to regain his IBF title with an emphatic seventh round TKO win of Kiko Martinez. Nine months later, Warrington lost his title to Luis Alberto Lopez in a 12-round majority decision defeat.
On his third attempt at winning another featherweight crown, Leigh Wood recorded a seventh round stoppage win of Warrington in Oct. 2023, forcing him to move up to junior lightweight.
Joseph Agbeko
Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko dethroned Luis Alberto Perez ro become the IBF bantamweight titlist in Sept. 2007, recording a TKO victory in seven. With two successful title defenses, Agbeko lost his IBF belt to Yonnhy Perez of Colombia in Sept. 2009.
Twelve months later, Agbeko got his revenge by decisioning Perez in a rematch to reclaim his IBF title. Unfortunately for him, he would lose the belt in his next bout against Abner Mares in Aug. 2011 via a majority decision.
Agbeko’s attempt at becoming a three-time bantamweight champ proved futile after losing a unanimous decision to Mares in a rematch four months later.
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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