Olympic Boxing : Anthony Joshua Favourite For Super Heavyweight Gold

Semi finals: Friday 10th August 10.30pm
Final: Sunday 12th August 3.15pm
All bouts live on BBCi

As the extraordinary London 2012 games enters the final few days, Anthony Joshua aims to bring the curtain down on his hometown Olympics in a spectacular golden fashion.

Finchley-born Joshua is the World Number 3 at Amateur Level but has already guaranteed a bronze medal at the very least after an impressive win over China’s Zhang Zhilei in the quarter finals on Monday, and he will be going for Olympic super heavyweight gold if he can defeat Kazakhstani giant Ivan Dychko.

Anthony will have to overcome the added pressure of going into the final 4 as the bookmaker’s favourite for the title though, with Paddy Power as short as Evens for yet another Team GB gold.

However, Joshua seems to be peaking at just the right time following a slow start in the early rounds and he was nothing short of rampant in his bout with Zhilei as he knocked the Chinese giant down with some hammer blows which must have left Zhang Zhilei calling for the bell.

The prize that awaits the Brit in the final should he defeat Dychko is a meeting with either the defending Olympic Champion (Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle, a 6/1 shot for Gold) or Magomedrasul Medzhidov of Azerbaijan, who defeated him in the final of last year’s World Championships.

Medzhidov is considered Joshua’s biggest threat and that is reflected in his price of 15/8 to land the gold medal.

The hopes of a nation may well be resting on young Anthony Joshua’s shoulders to deliver one final gold medal on Sunday afternoon before this magnificent games draws to a close.

His potential opponents clearly trump him in terms of experience and title-winning bouts, but what the Londoner lacks in that department he more than makes up for in talent, power and sheer raw ability and he will be hoping the home crowd can help him call on all of his true Great British grit and determination to land the blows needed to see this Olympics off in style.