Boxing News Boxing News
Anthony Joshua MBE is a heavy favorite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
Joshua defended his IBF Heavyweight title in style on June 25, stopping the brave unbeaten American Dominic Breazeale in the seventh round at The O2 in London.
Joshua landed the belt at the Greenwich venue in April, ripping the crown from another unbeaten American, Charles Martin, inside two rounds thanks to a pair of vicious right hands.
The Olympic gold medal hero will take a break over the summer before defending his belt for the second time later in the year, where another strong performance could see him become the first boxer to win the award since Joe Calzaghe in 2007 and the fifth fighter to take the trophy home following two-time winner Henry Cooper, Barry McGuigan, Lennox Lewis and Calzaghe.
Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy is also favourite with Real Madrid and Wales hero Gareth Bale coming in third. Andy Murray won the award for the second time in 2015 and is in the running to make it a hat-trick as he bids for glory at Wimbledon and the Olympics in Rio, and he’s joined by Jessica Ennis-Hill who bids to defend her Heptathlon gold this summer.
The 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony takes place at the Genting Arena in Birmingham on December 18.
