Anthony Joshua's fight with Wladimir Klitschko was "undeniably one of the most exciting heavyweight boxing matches in recent memory," but "spectacle aside, the Brit is fast becoming one of the most marketable athletes boxing has ever seen" and has the potential to "propel the sport into a new commercial era," according to Tony Connelly of THE DRUM. Around 90,000 people filled a sold-out Wembley to watch the fight. The interest spanned "far beyond" the U.K. though: U.S. cable companies Showtime and HBO also secured the broadcast rights. To "put the deal in context, it was only the third time the two rivals have both broadcast a lucrative boxing match." Joshua's "enthralling 11-round battle" with the Ukrainian represents a "resurgence of the heavyweight division, and more significantly, a resurgence in the entire sport’s commercial appeal." Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao was one of the "biggest fights in recent memory," but Mayweather "hung up his gloves," while Pacquiao’s LGBT remarks "harmed his profile and pushed his biggest sponsor Nike to cut ties with him." Casual boxing fans "have largely turned their attention elsewhere since then," drawn to MMA thanks to "the likes of Conor McGregor." But boxing has not "stood still -- in fact the sport is in a great place with many sublime talents like Vasyl Lomachenko, Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Andre Ward helping to usher in a new era of stars." Talent aside, "none of them can pull in the casual fan and sponsors quite like Joshua." Sports Pro Media placed him fifth on its "Most Marketable Athletes in the World" list last year. Tyson Fury’s "unlikely win over Klitschko generated a momentary blip" in the dominance of Klitschko and his brother, Vitali, though Fury’s behavior since has "only served to sully the image of boxing." However, it is "undeniably thriving again thanks to the emergence of Joshua, who is the absolute antithesis of his British heavyweight counterpart." Polite, "humble and well-spoken," the Olympian's natural demeanor has "cleansed boxing" of some of the "polluted atmosphere that had enveloped it in recent years." Lucozade Sport's most recent work with him is "largely behind the brand’s success, according to early feedback." The "Made to Move" short film "chronicled the journey of his tumultuous past." Mongoose Sports & Entertainment Associate Dir of PR Jo Long-Pockett said, "We're still pushing it so we're not drawing any conclusions at the moment, but it's about nine million views so far and that's not including the views where the video has been embedded in media articles" (THE DRUM, 4/28).
