Anthony Joshua Would Prefer Son Do Something Else Besides Boxing

Plenty of fighters love to fight because it is in their blood. But former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua isn’t among those who love the game so much that he wants to see his son pulled into the action. Joshua said recently in an interview that he would like to see his son pursue other activities. 

The struggle of children who attempt to follow their famous parents into their chosen profession isn’t limited to online boxing news. Many youngsters see how their parents work and feel the pull to follow mom or dad into the family business. This can create a lot of difficult pressures for people on both sides of the equation.

Especially in the United States, people are keen to avoid the appearance of nepotism. Many kids want to prove that they are able to do things on their own. However, as long as they carry their parents’ last name it can be a difficult hurdle to clear.

Joshua Says Mental Side of Sport Concerns Him

There are many understandable reasons for Joshua wanting to keep his now 8-year-old son, JJ, away from boxing. It’s a physically demanding sport that requires taking punches to the head. Even the most sound defensive boxers still get rocked and absorb trauma from their opponents, much like Joshua did last night.

But heavyweight boxing news shows that Joshua is most worried about the mental side that would come with the sport. Any boxer who competes needs to be mentally tough. Joshua’s son would also find a different type of mental pressure.

JJ would face the pressure of living up to his father’s name. Joshua is one of the best heavyweight boxers of the past 10 years. That would be a lot for any child to live up to.

Ali’s Daughter Became a Trail Blazer

Muhammad Ali had nine children. His daughter, Laila, ended up following in her dad’s footsteps over his objections. When Laila hit the boxing scene in the 90s, there was almost no market for women’s boxing.

But when heavyweight boxing news showed a former champion’s daughter was willing to step into the ring, promoters lined up to try and make a few bucks. Notably, Laila would end up stepping into the ring with Joe Frazier’s daughter.

Laila had a successful boxing career, putting up a 24-0 record and holding world titles in several weight divisions. While Laila didn’t have the social impact her dad did, she became a trailblazer like her dad.

Laila’s popularity opened the doors for other female boxers. While the number of women who box professionally is still much lower compared to men, there are several high-profile boxers competing today.

Nepotism Angle Will Make Life Hard for Bronny

The ugly side of criticism has reared its head with the National Basketball Association and Bronny James. Bronny is the son of NBA legend, Lebron. While much of the criticism about the Lakers drafting him is fair, much of the heat for his career is coming from the way the media is approaching covering the story.

Bronny only played one season at Southern California before declaring for the NBA Draft. But Bronny, who is 6-foot-2, is undersized to play professionally. Bronny had heart issues before his freshman season and was a mild contributor on a bad Trojans team.

Now that the Lakers drafted Bronny, the pressure will be on the team to allow father and son to play together. When ESPN broadcast the Lakers’ Summer League games, they emphasized Bronny’s performance. 

There is a lot of pressure on all involved in that situation to prove he is worthy. That is something that people watching MMAfighting latest news have seen time and again with new prospects.

Marvis Frazier Had a Difficult Career

Marvis Frazier said several times he didn’t plan on being a professional heavyweight boxer like his dad, Joe, who was a former heavyweight champion. Marvis said several times he wanted to win the Olympic gold medal, then go to college and get into business.

However, Marvis would never get his Olympic moment. The United States chose not to participate in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Instead, Frazier, one of the top heavyweight prospects, chose to turn professional instead.

When Marvis was matched up against lower-level heavyweights, he was an effective puncher who carried some power. However, Marvis was small at heavyweight as he was only 6 feet tall. Despite the size disadvantage at heavyweight, Marvis won the first 10 fights of his career.

In 1983, Marvis had an opportunity to break through to the top of the division when he battled Larry Holmes for the Ring Magazine and the lineal heavyweight titles. What Marvis found was that his skills wouldn’t necessarily translate against the heavyweight’s hardest hitters.

Mavis lost to Holmes by knockout in the first round. He would run off six straight wins after that before running into a young Mike Tyson in 1986. It was the wrong time to run into Tyson, who was well on his way to becoming the youngest-ever undisputed heavyweight champion.

Tyson put Marvis down in 30 seconds. Marvis would end up retiring a few years’ later with a 19-2 record.

Ken Griffey Jr. Outshone His Father

Ken Griffey Sr. was a part of one of the most dangerous teams in the 1970s when he won a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. But it is something much later in his career that he would be remembered for. Griffey would have an opportunity to play with his son, Ken Griffey Jr., during the 1990 and 1991 season with the Mariners.

They became the first father and son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in a game. That will likely never happen again. Griffey Jr. also proved not to be a nepotism hire. He would outshine his father in terms of career numbers and cultural impact.

While Junior never won a championship, no one would consider his career a failure.

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh