JOSHUA MANIA HITS CARDIFF
As champion’s trainer issues warning...
THe phenomenon that Anthony Joshua is fast becoming took Cardiff by storm three nights before his latest world heavyweight title defence in the Principality Stadium.
There is no Welsh connection with AJ yet hundreds of locals queued around the block on a cold evening to see him do some pads and rope work. They lined up five deep for more than a quarter of a mile to be sure of one of the 1,400 seats in St David’s Hall.
The popularity of the WBA and IBF champion now seems boundless. The German TV station which minted Wladimir Klitschko is out in force to monitor the exploits of the young englishman who claimed his throne.
So is the big US cable network Showtime. It matters not who he is fighting. It is unlikely anyone in South Wales had heard of Carlos Takam (right) before he was announced as the substitute for the injured Kubrat Pulev on Saturday. The roars which greeted Joshua’s arrival, though, were deafening.
Away from the hubbub of Joshua’s final work-out, his trainer Rob McCracken was still issuing quiet reminders about the hazards of heavyweight boxing.
‘This division is historic and glamorous,’ said the softlyspoken McCracken. ‘But it’s full of surprises. That’s why there will be 80,000 in the stadium and why there were 90,000 at Wembley for the Klitschko fight.
‘Anything can happen when you have two giants colliding, throwing big shots at each other. This man is a big, powerful, tough challenger. He will be dangerous and has nothing to lose. None of them do when they get in position to fight for the world heavyweight title. This is not someone easily subdued. He will come in confident, expecting he can pull off an upset. He is shorter but is used to fighting taller men. He will come in low and hard. ‘He’s only been stopped once, he believes in himself. Otherwise he wouldn’t have gone to New Zealand and Russia to fight men who have won world titles.’ Those treks produced two of his three defeats in 39 fights: one by WBO champion Joseph Parker on points, the other in his single KO by former WBA world champion Alexander Povetkin in what McCracken says was ‘the tenth round of an absolute war’. McCracken is calm as he delivers warnings of Frenchman Takam’s threat — not that he thinks Joshua needs them. He said: ‘Josh takes everything in his stride. He enjoys the challenge. He knows he still has a bit to learn, but it excites him to fight against the best. He knows not to take Takam lightly.’
McCracken, as the man who trained Carl Froch to glory, knows even the best can slip down a gear. He recalls the diffidence with which Froch approached the super-middleweight title challenge from George Groves in their first fight — only to get knocked down and almost out in the first round.
‘Carl had just fulfilled his ambition of beating Mikkel Kessler for another world title,’ says McCracken. ‘He wasn’t overly happy he had to fight Groves. He was grumpy about other UK boxers being given mandatory challenges against him. Josh is different.’
Takam is hoping for the unexpected. He said: ‘If I can do things differently from what others have done against Joshua, I will have a chance to knock him out.
‘Boxing abroad does not worry me. Nor does fighting in front of 80,000 people. Joshua and me will be the only people in the ring.’