Klitschko beaten by Joshua at Wembley
LONDON — In May 2010 Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey had a post-war record setting attendance of just over 50,000 at the Dallas Stadium. Last night at the Wembley Stadium, Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua smashed that record, nearly doubling it when they exceeded 95,000.
This heavyweight matchup has been highly anticipated ever since Klitschko’s reign came to an end last year at the hands of Tyson Fury and Joshua claimed the IBF crown from Charles Martin during the same time frame.
The questions swirling around the stadium before the start of the fight were simple; will the experienced Klitschko teach the young boxer with only 18 bouts under his belt a valuable lesson, or would the young lion force the veteran into a fight and keep his knockout streak alive?
Ultimately, Joshua walked out of the ring with his heavyweight titles in hand, stopping Klitschko in the 11th round to stake his claim as the sport’s next big thing.
The first four rounds started with both guys boxing tentatively but Wladimir showing his experience with movement and his educated left hand.
Then round 5 started and Joshua’s corner must have told him to wake up and use his youth because that is exactly what he did. He stormed out of his corner with fast combinations, landing a nice left hook that put Klitschko down for the first time in the fight.
Klitschko beat the count and took control of the second half of that round as Joshua appeared to have punched himself out.
The next round saw Klitschko land a solid right hand and put Joshua down hard. Joshua survived the round but was fighting flat footed and stationary.
In Rounds 7-10, Klitschko tried time after time to land that murderous left hook but each time Joshua was able to dip underneath, avoiding the shot.
The championship jab that Klitschko has displayed throughout his career was carrying him until round 11 when he got nailed with an uppercut in a clinch.
The punch was hard and fast and had Klitschko backpedaling but Joshua would land a left hook high on the head area putting Klitschko down for the second time in the fight. He got up gingerly at the count of 6 only to be met with a barrage of punches sending him down for the second time in the round.
As he rose under the careful eye of referee David Fields, Joshua pinned him in the corner and attacked with a fury of punches forcing Fields to step in and wave off the match.
As they embraced and met in the center of the ring for the post fight interview, both men praised one another and thanked the crowd for attending.
As the fans and many celebrities were making their way out of the stadium it was clear both questions were answered — the older Klitschko was able to use his experience and dictate the action throughout the fight but in the end, the young lion was able to force a fight and pace that was too hard for the elder to keep up with.
The two most important questions looming are, will there be a rematch and if so, will it exceed 95,000 again?