Dennis Hobson column: AJ's opponent was the weakest heavyweight I've ever seen

Anthony Joshua's world title-opponent turned out to be pretty dreadful. Is AJ anywhere near elite status?
Anthony Joshua in South ShieldsAnthony Joshua in South Shields
Anthony Joshua in South Shields

That fight told us nothing. AJ got exposed against Dillian Whyte and if Whyte had better conditioning it could have got more interesting. On paper it says he KO’d Whyte but it was exhaustion that finished Whyte off. Joshua is an exceptional talent but he hasn’t proved himself as he hasn’t fought any marquee names yet. We’ve had some weak heavyweight champions over the years but Charles Martin was the weakest I’ve seen. His shorts didn’t even fit him properly! He wouldn’t win a domestic title in Britain.

Joshua needs to consolidate as champion, and he’ll have a mandatory coming up in the next nine months. I’d try and get him another couple of fights to establish himself at that level. If he were to fight Tyson Fury tomorrow, my money would be on Fury; he knows how to win at the top level.

What would you do now if you were promoting Kell Brook?

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You know my story. I made the Roy Jones fight for Clinton Woods, I made big fights for Ricky Hatton, I did David Haye v Carl Thompson. I’ve made some marquee fights and that’s what Kell needs. Kell’s promoters were a bit too smart for their own good with the Amir Khan situation; they thought Khan had nowhere else to go. They played too much hard-ball. I’ve got a good relationship with Khan and could have helped broker that fight. If they were that confident of beating Khan then they could have taken less, then start making huge money after beating him because Khan is elite level. Kell hasn’t fought at elite level even though he’s got the belt, because they haven’t been able to make the matches. It should all be about making big fights for Kell, and I’ve got my own thoughts on why it hasn’t happened and I think a lot has to do with finances. Kell must be getting very frustrated because they aren’t delivering for him. I’ve delivered before on a lot less resources than they’ve got.

Your show on Saturday is at Sheffield City Hall; why not the Magna Centre?

We’ve got a great relationship with Magna, but we’re using the City Hall for smaller shows. We’re still working with the Magna and hopefully bringing some television back there. I’ll be doing more shows in and outside of Sheffield than I’ve ever done. I’ve got one in Blackpool, Bolton and London coming up and I’ll probably do more than 20 shows this year. We’re getting a big, strong stable that’s hopefully going to throw up a couple of kids to take on to the world scene.