Former unified heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua says watching Ilia Topuria suffer the first defeat of his career reshaped how he's approaching his own comeback. Joshua told Combat Evolved that seeing the damage Justin Gaethje inflicted on Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 was a stark reminder of how brutal combat sports really are. "I think you've got to be in the fight game to truly know it's not lit. It's not what people think it is. It's not all fun and games. It's a serious, serious, serious job, man," Joshua said.
Gaethje stopped Topuria between the fourth and fifth rounds at UFC Freedom 250's main event on the White House South Lawn in June, handing the previously undefeated fighter the first loss of his career and taking the undisputed lightweight title in one of the sport's biggest upsets. Joshua's own comeback is set for July 25 against Kristian Prenga, a warm-up fight ahead of a showdown with Tyson Fury, which is what has shaped his renewed mindset towards fights.
Further Details on the Fight, the Aftermath, and Reflection
Topuria suffered non-displaced fractures in both orbital bones, with his right eye taking the brunt of the damage, according to medical reports relayed by Spanish outlet Marca. He later revealed on Instagram that he lost vision in his right eye in the first round and his left by the end of the second. Struggling visibly with impaired vision, Topuria was examined by the ringside doctor and allowed to continue into the fourth round before his corner made the call to stop the fight ahead of the fifth. Because the fractures were non-displaced, doctors determined he did not require surgery.
Joshua said watching the fight hit him harder than expected, given how dominant Topuria looked heading in. "I saw someone in Ilia who was destined to win. The stars were aligned for him to be victorious... I saw him celebrating before [the fight]. He's entitled to do what he wants, but I just took something from it, and I said: get back to being uncontactable, less accessible, because the fight game is so serious," Joshua explained, adding: "You saw his face, what he went through; it's not a joke, man." Having experienced his own shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, Joshua said the fight prompted him to pull back from distractions and refocus on his own camp.
Orbital Fractures: Causes, Impact, Treatment, and Recovery
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an orbital fracture is a break in one or more of the seven bones that form the eye socket, which protects the eyeball along with the surrounding muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. These injuries most often occur after blunt force trauma, such as being struck by a fist or ball during sports, but they can also result from motor vehicle crashes, falls, or physical assaults.
The most common type is a blowout fracture, which affects the thin orbital floor or the inner wall near the nose. According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), these bones are the most vulnerable because they are the weakest parts of the eye socket. The force of a direct impact can cause them to bend or break, sometimes helping dissipate the energy of the blow and protecting the eyeball from more severe injury.
What Are the Symptoms?
Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the fracture but commonly include pain, swelling and bruising around the eye, blurred or double vision, difficulty moving the eye, numbness of the cheek or upper lip, and changes in the position of the eye, such as a sunken appearance (enophthalmos) or bulging. In more serious cases, muscles or soft tissue can become trapped within the fracture, restricting eye movement and causing persistent double vision.
How the Injury is Treated
Treatment depends on the extent of the injury. Many uncomplicated orbital fractures can be managed without surgery using ice, pain medication, rest, and close follow-up with an ophthalmologist. Patients are generally advised to avoid blowing their nose during recovery because air from the sinuses can enter the eye socket and worsen the injury. Surgery may be recommended if there is persistent double vision, muscle entrapment, significant displacement of the eye, or a large fracture that is unlikely to heal properly on its own. These injuries often require coordinated care from ophthalmologists, oculoplastic surgeons, or maxillofacial surgeons.
How Long Until Things Get Better?
The recovery time for the injury varies widely based on the severity of the fracture. Mild injuries may heal within several weeks, while more complex fractures requiring surgery can take months to fully recover. Some patients may continue to experience numbness, nerve-related pain, or double vision during the healing process, occasionally requiring additional treatment or corrective surgery. In Topuria's case, reports estimate his orbital fracture could heal in approximately four to eight weeks. However, he was also issued a 180-day medical suspension, making a return to competition before 2027 unlikely.
Fighting Is No Joke, and the Professionals Would Know
Anthony Joshua's reaction points to something worth taking seriously beyond one dramatic fight: combat sports carry real, lasting physical risk, even for elite, highly conditioned athletes. Topuria's injuries weren't a freak accident but a fairly predictable outcome of sustained, targeted strikes to the face and eyes over multiple rounds, the kind of cumulative damage that defines the sport itself.
This matters for professional fighters, but also for the far larger number of people who box, spar, or train in combat sports recreationally without the same medical oversight that ringside doctors and commissions provide. Orbital fractures and their potential complications, including permanent vision changes or nerve damage, aren't exclusive to world championship bouts; they can occur in a local gym sparring session just as easily.
Joshua's candid reflection is a useful reminder that treating any blow to the face or eye seriously, seeking prompt medical evaluation, and respecting recovery timelines rather than rushing back matter at every level of the sport, not just for champions competing on the world's biggest stages.
