Klitschko-Joshua fight reflects heavyweights’ return to radar
There is a school of thought, especially in these parts where Anthony Joshua is already a national treasure, that Saturday’s blockbuster heavyweight title fight is the division’s biggest in years solely because it will mark the coronation of a new king ’s long reign.
The Brits are biased, perhaps understandably so, given the jolt of excitement Joshua has given the heavyweight ranks, but they are not entirely wrong.
Joshua’s battle with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (4:15 p.m. ET, Showtime; 10:45 p.m. ET/PT, HBO) is appetizing for all sorts of reasons, and the possibility that the 27year-old hometown favorite can establish himself as the baddest man in the biggest division is undoubtedly part of it.
Yet this shapes up as a heavyweight slugfest to outshine all others in recent memory because, whatever the outcome, the sport, the weight class and long-suffering fight fans should emerge as winners.
A Joshua triumph would give the heavyweights a superstar face, a figurehead whose marketability is already on full display in his homeland and could soon stretch across the Atlantic. It would provide a definitive end to the era of Klitschko, 41, whose 11year unbeaten run was cut short by Tyson Fury in 2015.
They love to bet on sports in this country as long as it’s not the athlete himself doing the wagering; an English Premier League soccer player was banned for 18 months this week for placing more than a thousand bets on games, including some featuring his own team. And they love betting on Joshua, who is the favorite in the gambling parlors.
The excitement is such around here that the hype for the fight is overshadowing the national obsession: soccer.
It might be just the start. Success for Joshua, and there can be plenty more giant occasions in the future. Fury, who fights under the Irish flag but lives in the United Kingdom, would offer a legitimately huge fight if he gets past mental health and drug issues.
Deontay Wilder, the WBC champ from Alabama, belongs firmly in the mix, while buzz also surrounds huge-hitting New Zealander Joseph Parker and tough Cuban Luis Ortiz. After years in which rivals to Klitschko and his big brother, Vitali, were sought — and generally came up short — there is potential for a string of entertaining contests that carry championship gravitas.
But a Klitschko victory, given the context of the situation, does not automatically mean the division is put on hold. That outcome, especially if by a manner that is narrow or controversial, would open the door for a re- match. Indeed, Joshua has a contractual clause allowing for such a stipulation.
And with Klitschko — postFury — no longer looking unbeatable, there would be greater interest in a title bout featuring him and any of the previously mentioned contenders.
There is something special about a heavyweight tilt, something electrifying about the title that no other division can match. Boxing ’s alphabet soup of belts produces ludicrously high numbers of people able to call themselves world champion, and, on Saturday, Joshua will seek to retain the IBF belt, while adding the vacant WBA and IBO crowns.
In truth though, this one is about more than belts, it is about the chance for either Joshua or Klitschko to prove himself as the top dog — in a division that is breaking from its slumber.
FOLLOW REPORTER MARTIN ROGERS @mrogersUSAT for breaking sports news and analysis.