Rematch is on if Joshua loses
ANTHONY Joshua will have the option of an immediate rematch with Wladimir Klitschko if he is beaten in their Wembley showdown on Saturday — but the Ukrainian legend does not have the same clause.
It had been suggested that each fighter would be able to invoke a rematch in the wake of the heavyweight blockbuster this weekend.
But Sportsmail understands only Joshua has the clause in his deal, meaning the IBF world champion would have a rapid opportunity to avenge himself in the event of a first career defeat.
Klitschko, the former unified champion, would not be drawn on the subject in a media conference call last week, saying to a direct question about the existence of a clause: ‘I don’t discuss contractual points.’
But the likelihood is that he would get a rematch with Joshua (below) even if he is beaten, as long as the first fight is not a major mismatch in the Brit’s favour. If the 41-year-old loses a close contest then it is highly probable that the broadcasting networks would push for a sequel to a promotion which has sold 90,000 tickets at Wembley and is expected to draw more than one million pay-per-view buys. For their part, the fighters are pocketing upwards of £10million each for the biggest heavyweight fight in a decade. The fighters were yesterday applying the finishing touches to their training, with Klitschko due to arrive in London today, ahead of a public workout at Wembley Arena in the evening.
Klitschko is returning to the ring after a 17-month absence following the defeat against Tyson Fury in 2015 that ended his decade-long reign at the top of the sport.
Joshua admitted he has drawn few lessons from Fury’s win, saying: ‘I have watched it because it was the most recent one, so it is very relevant, but Fury is completely different to me.
‘I can’t box the way Fury boxed and can’t expect it to be as simple as that for me.
‘I just look at little parts of it, not the whole thing.
‘I’m more worried about myself. It’s the most recent one, but I don’t study it — everyone is different when you fight them. I’m going to worry about myself, how I am feeling. Am I confident? As long as I tick my boxes, I am in a good place.’