We are fast approaching the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the “space city”, and we here at Undefeated, has its eye on its next rising boxing star, 23 year old Joshua Edwards (+92 kg), and his journey to bring home the gold. Just last October, Edwards competed in the Pan Am games brought home the gold with a come-from-behind victory over Cuban Fernando Arzola, qualifying him for a spot of the U.S. Olympic team.
Growing up in a rough neighborhood on Houston’s south side, under the guidance of his father Henry Edwards, Joshua took up boxing at the age of six. Years prior, while still in his mother’s belly, Edwards recalls placing his hand on the stomach of Joshua’s mother and asking God for direction over his son’s life. “I heard God tell me he was a fighter in her stomach…I thought it was some type of some symbolic thing, but he was actually a fighter.” Having experience as a boxer himself, Edwards used sternness and strict discipline to help instill determination in Joshua, at the same time, helping to keep his son out of trouble.
Joshua saw that he had people in his corner helping to push him. Being his gym’s first-ever Olympian is huge. Joshua’s coach, Melvin Malone said, “I was extremely strict, extremely mean. There were a lot of one-on-one drills, how to avoid the first punch, slip punches, how to do angles, move.”
Joshua will be the first male boxer from Houston to qualify for the Olympic games since Rocky Juarez in 2000, and also the first Houston male to qualify in the super-heavyweight division since George Foreman.
Preliminary stages will unfold between Saturday, July 27, and Saturday, August 3, while the medal stage will begin on Friday, August 2, and run until Saturday, August 10.
