Joshua on brink of taking fight game ‘to a new level’
Hearn says Briton could be sport’s biggest name Klitschko faces major weight disadvantage
The last time Anthony Joshua cried was seven years ago when he lost in the final of the world amateur boxing championships in Azerbaijan.
He sobbed all the way to the dressing room that night, stung by having to stomach a silver medal when his sights were set purely on gold. Second place does not work for champions. But tears are not an option tonight as Joshua – still a tyro in terms of boxing experience – arrives at a grand moment after just 18 career fights. At Wembley Stadium, he has the stage to forge a legacy for himself in boxing’s glamour division.
Standing in the 27-year-old’s way is Wladimir Klitschko, known as Dr Steelhammer, the 41-year-old Ukrainian who, until 18 months ago, had held an iron-fisted grip on the division for a decade. This is the moment for Joshua to deliver. Tonight, he could mark the start of a new era in the sport, given his British rival Tyson Fury, the man who dethroned Kitschko, remains in the wilderness due to his mentalhealth issues and admissions of cocaine abuse.
Joshua, who used boxing to turn his life around, must show that he has the aptitude, nerve and fighting IQ to defeat a man who has won more world-title contests than Joshua has had fights. The stones have been thrown out there by both promoter Eddie Hearn and Joshua’s calm, respected trainer Robert McCracken this week: that it is no pushover, that it remains a genuine test at elite level for ‘AJ’ and that he is going into uncharted waters.
“I think anything can happen in this fight, but I do think victory for Anthony Joshua probably makes him the biggest star in world boxing,” Hearn told the yesterday, “and it will take boxing to a whole new level. I think we’re on the verge of something very, very special. But we also know the dangers and we know this is a 50-50 fight. Wladimir has the experience and many dangerous attributes that could cause Anthony problems.”
Those words are echoed by the man who will have Joshua’s complete attention in those crucial 60 seconds between rounds. McCracken will be Joshua’s eyes and ears, and there is none of a fight’s nuances that escape him.
“The time has come for Anthony to be tested and, if he comes through this, it will be like this over and over again,” McCracken said after yesterday’s weigh-in. “Josh is relaxed and ready, properly prepared, but it would be silly of me to say this is not a dangerous fight, because it is. We are rolling the dice after just 18 fights, due to public demand. But believe me, when the chips are down, Josh likes to fight. There’s some real spite in him, and even though you look at his physique and that is incredible in itself, I’ve seen the fighter in him.”
Hearn has seen something in Joshua this week, too. Joshua has brushed off Klitschko’s attempts at controlling the build-up, never allowing his intensity to waver in public, and offering a few derisive words behind the scenes that suggests he means business. It is creating an aura.
“Oh, he definitely has that,” Hearn agreed. “And one of the most incredible things about Anthony is how calm he stayed under this massive pressure.”
So, to the fight. Everything, apart from Klitschko’s obduracy and desire for redemption after a miserable night in Dusseldorf against Fury 18 months ago, is stacked in Joshua’s favour.
Joshua is 15 minutes’ drive from sleeping in his own bed, there has been a tsunami of support for him from British fans – 7,000 of them turned up for the weigh-in yesterday – and the home fighter even took a stroll around the echoing, empty Wembley Stadium late yesterday afternoon.
“Every fight is like a defining fight, no matter what I’ve done, no matter what we’ve worked on,” Joshua explained. “That’s why I’ve learnt that being insecure is a positive thing, not a negative thing. You’re insecure about losing what you have created. I have no intention of losing that.”
At 17st 12lb, Joshua is heavier than he has been for any contest, and 9lb heavier than Klitschko. The message is clear. He will look to bully Klitschko. After a cagey start, Joshua will let his hands go.
Klitschko has a superb jab, and power in both his dangerous right hand and left hook. Joshua must be wary of that hooking left hand. Either punch could halt or knock Joshua out.
But Klitschko has been accustomed to controlling fights. Joshua will not want to let him, and will look for a steady assault from late in the second round onwards. If the home favourite has not hurt, or stopped, Klitschko by round seven, the youngster could get manned out of the fight by the wizened old ways of Klitschko. We cannot rule that out, but I do not see it. For me, Joshua stops Klitschko inside five rounds, his vim, vigour, explosiveness and youth proving too much for the old legs of Klitschko.
Victory tonight could change Joshua’s life for ever. It could be seen as one of those great British sporting moments. He did it five years ago when all were watching the London 2012 Olympic Games when he heaped pressure on himself then but took gold.
There is no room for tears for Joshua tonight. This is his moment. And he must take it with both hands.