THERE’S TOO MUCH AT STAKE FOR ME TO LOSE 10
THE Anthony Joshua phenomenon has settled on a plateau upon which Britain’s unified world heavyweight champion needs to deliver a commanding performance tonight.
The problem for the head of AJ Incorporated is that if he overreaches for the next level of superstardom he risks exposing himself to that one massive punch which always threatens to turn the land of boxing’s giants upside down.
The heat is on, no matter how accurate the forecast of rain at Wembley, because of a first inkling that the Joshua frenzy is cooling ever so slightly.
Promoter Eddie Hearn admits the national football stadium is less than sold out for Joshua’s outing against heavy-handed Russian slugger Alexander Povetkin.
When the Pied Piper of the prizering went through his customary public workout this fight week fewer fans than usual followed him to east London’s York Hall.
We are not talking about a crisis here though. The Wembley crowd will be closer to 80,000 than the 90,000 who watched his epic battle with Wladimir Klitschko. That is still an astonishing turnout, made all the more extraordinary by bringing the aggregate attendance for his four stadium fights — two here and two at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium — to well over 300,000.
Yet there is a tinge of public disappointment that instead of facing WBC champion Deontay Wilder, Joshua is making this mandatory defence of his WBA belt against a veteran former holder of the WBA’s regular title.
How temporary this blip proves to be depends on how thrilling this latest Joshua performance is, then how quickly he comes to aggravated terms with Wilder. Or with Tyson Fury if the Gypsy King dethrones the destructive American in December.
The stakes against Povetkin have been raised by Joshua’s humdrum 12 rounds against Joe Parker in his last outing, the first in which he has been taken the distance in his undefeated professional career.
The force of mass popularity is still with AJ but the wider population to which he appeals clamours for KOs. So do the sponsors and advertisers with whom he has compiled the most extensive corporate portfolio in ring history.
This is a balance with which he knows he has to juggle, even though the hazards of putting on a show increase with the ever-rising quality of his opponents.
At 39, Povetkin is 10 years the elder but still has knockout power and what the Englishman describes as ‘that sweet left hook’.
That punch mowed down big David Price on the undercard of the Parker fight in Cardiff and Joshua says: ‘I am no longer looking at the quick KOs I had when I first turned pro. Povetkin is still one of the top three or four heavyweights in the world. I believe I am the best but in this division one punch can change everything.
‘With all that is on my shoulders I can’t afford to make a single mistake. There is too much at stake now for me to lose. It wasn’t always like this. Sugar Ray Robinson lost a few times and he is still the best boxer of all time. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson... all took defeats but are still all-time greats. So why should I think I will never, ever be beaten? All that should matter is that you do your very best.
‘There is huge pressure to win every time. I accept that but it brings with it the fear of losing. That’s always there, every fight. When I lost in the world amateur finals, yes, I dropped a tear.’
Most of his 200 rounds of sparring in this camp under trainer Rob McCracken have been against eager young men he describes as ‘auditioning like hell for a gig on mine and Eddie’s team’.
He adds: ‘Under Rob the days of guys coming to the gym to go through a few rounds and pick up a quick pay cheque are gone. Now they are all coming after me.’
There are no complaints about that from a man who has remained engaging, amusing and peoplefriendly throughout his rise from the drug-running back streets of Watford to global fame.
‘I needed that preparation for this fight,’ he explains, comparing Povetkin to the Klitschko legend he stopped in his epic first stadium fight at Wembley.
‘Alexander, like Wladimir, is an older, experienced ex-champion who is obsessed with getting one more taste of wearing those belts. Wladimir put me down and I found out that night that I could go to
hell and back. Alexander is dangerous but I know in my heart I can handle everything it might take.’
Povetkin promises Russia’s president that he will give Joshua plenty of pain: ‘I first met Mr Putin when I won my Olympic gold medal and he invited the team to the Kremlin. He loves his sport, trains in the gym and I know he will be watching.’
Povetkin has trained for speed since he cannot hope to match Joshua physically. That should make him a threat for a few rounds. He will go head-hunting from the start. That should play into the spectacle demanded of Joshua, who is also defending his IBF, WBO and IBO titles, and says: ‘This will be a different type of fight to Parker. This guy will come out looking for me. We will be trading punches. But he has a false idea of head movement so I will hit him a lot.’ Joshua is the 1-10 favourite and I expect him to fulfil his own prediction of victory ‘through being the tougher of two hard men’. He is eyeing an eighth-round KO but he may have to go the distance again. If so then these 12 rounds should be of the more exciting, crowd-pleasing, big-business-satisfying variety.