Believe the Hype: Anthony Joshua Is a Heavyweight Prospect with Real Potential

If you were not yet a believer in the hype surrounding Anthony Joshua beforehand, then watching him in action on Saturday night must surely have convinced you.

The 6'6" British boxer treated his home crowd at the O2 Arena in London to another quick win. On a pay-per-view bill that included three world title fights, he was the one creating the most buzz.

A total of 13 heavyweights have now tried to topple the 2012 Olympic gold medalist—they have all been unlucky. Unlucky in that they have ended up as cannon fodder.

From Emanuele Leo, the unbeaten Italian who happened to be first in line, to the trash-talking Kevin Johnson, a baker’s dozen has now been beaten: Joshua has simply blown away everyone in front of him.

His professional career stretches a grand total of 24 rounds. No one has managed to take him beyond the third, and a back injury is the only thing that has held him up so far.

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

In truth, the first 12 fighters he faced weren't expected to pose too much of a threat.

Johnson, though, was meant to be the first serious test for the 25-year-old from Watford.

The American had a 29-6-1 record that suggested he could cause problems. At the very least, it was believed he could push Joshua into deep waters.

Before Joshua, no fighter had ever stopped Kingpin. British duo Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora had both tried and failed. Even Vitali Klitschko had gone the full 12 rounds with him back in 2009.

Joshua, though, needed all of four minutes and 22 seconds to halt his supposedly tricky challenger.

In truth, Johnson did well to make it out of the first round. A heavy knockdown came right on the bell, providing him with time to recover on his stool.

The minute was not long enough, however. An hour might not have been long enough. He came back out from his corner at the start of the second and soon found himself under heavy fire again.

Eventually, referee Ian John-Lewis stepped in to save the 35-year-old from Atlanta. Johnson, after all his pre-fight promises and bravado, had been dismantled. Destroyed. Demolished. Dispatched. Whatever verb you want to use. It was enough to make him announce his retirement, per Scott Gilfoid of Boxing News 24.

If you haven't seen it, take a look for yourself:

The victory and, more specifically, the manner of it grabbed plenty of attention on social media. Several celebrities took to Twitter to express their admiration for the performance:

"

THE CHAMP! Very exciting to meet this humble giant @anthonyfjoshua. My first ever fight...(I think… https://t.co/uoyV2maXBD

— Emeli Sandé (@emelisande) June 2, 2015"

That is the thing with Joshua—he is not just well-known in boxing circles. Mind you, some of his fellow fighters were equally impressed, including Carl Frampton and David Haye, a man who knows what it takes to get to the top in the heavyweight division:

However, perhaps the most telling tweet was from Boxing Monthly:

That is the problem now facing promoter Eddie Hearn. He needs to match Joshua against tougher opponents, but picking the right fighters to pitch him against at this stage of his career is tricky.

There is a thin line between a foe who can pose a few problems and one who can actually cause an upset. David Price found that out to his cost against Tony Thompson, an experienced American who stopped the prospect not once but twice.

Price is one of the names mentioned for Joshua to face, and former cruiserweight world champion Glenn McCrory told Sky Sports that an all-English showdown against the Liverpudlian would be ideal:

"

Size is important when it comes to Anthony Joshua's opponent.

Someone with a bit of speed and a jab has to come next on the back of Kevin Johnson, but I want to see someone who is taller, heavier, just bigger.

David Price is the first one that springs to mind because he will just give Joshua something different to deal with.

Don't get me wrong, I think however big they are, if he catches them on the chin they will go. It's just another step into the unknown, as Johnson was, but I do think he will deal with it anyway.

"

Dillian Whyte is another domestic fighter whose name keeps cropping up.

He fought and beat Joshua in the amateurs, and he is now 14-0 in the paid ranks.

There is bad blood between the pair, as Whyte explained to Matt Nichols of the South London Press: "The most logical fight is against Anthony Joshua. I don't like him and he doesn't like me. I've beaten him before and since then it's been a massive problem for him. It's a natural matchup with a good old-fashioned, bloodfuelled rivalry. I've told him I'll fight him whenever.”

Whether it is Whyte, Price or any of the other heavyweights out there, Joshua is making waves. He has the power and the personality to become a household name, to develop into a modern-day Frank Bruno.

For all his supporters, Bruno took his time to achieve his goal and become a world champion. He had to go through some dark days, including the heartbreaking defeats to Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, a Brit respected for his dominance yet never truly loved.

These are early days yet, but Joshua may not have to go down the tough road that Bruno travelled in his career.

He has done all that has been asked of him so far; now it is up to Hearn to keep making the right fights. But, when you see performances like the one against Johnson, it is hard not to get carried away.

As Joshua tweeted himself, the hype train keeps rolling.