Morning Report | Anthony Joshua says Ilia Topuria losing to Justin Gaethje made him rethink his own career: ‘The fight game is serious’

Justin Gaethje's shocking upset victory over Ilia Topuria at UFC White House for the undisputed lightweight title has rippled far beyond the octagon, prompting reflection from unlikely observers, including former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua.

Topuria entered the fight as a prohibitive favorite, riding a perfect record and carrying himself with the bravado of a generational talent. He had publicly celebrated before fights concluded and seemed destined to claim the title. But over four rounds, Gaethje dismantled him in one of the UFC's most remarkable upsets, shattering Topuria's undefeated record and the aura that surrounded him.

Joshua, who won Olympic gold in 2012 and twice unified the heavyweight championship, knows something about devastating losses. He suffered his own stunning defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 when stripped of his titles. Yet watching Topuria's collapse proved sobering enough to reshape his outlook. "It's not all fun and games," Joshua told Combat Evolved. "When I watched that Ilia Topuria fight and Justin Gaethje, I stopped replying to people after that, because I said, 'It's not a joke.'" He noted that Topuria had beaten fighters Gaethje had lost to, making the odds heavily favor the then-champion. But seeing Topuria's confidence read as arrogance—and watching the human toll—moved Joshua to refocus his own career on isolation and intensity. "The fight game is so serious," he said, pledging to surround himself only with those who understand combat as life or death, not entertainment. Joshua next faces Kristian Prenga on July 25 before a planned showdown with Tyson Fury later in 2024.