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Joshua v. Klitshko: The Biggest Fight Nobody is Talking About
By: Matthew N. Becher
Literally the biggest fight in the world is in less than two weeks, and nobody seems to be aware of it.
Anthony Joshua (18-0 18KO) will be defending his IBF Heavyweight title against the former 2x Heavyweight champion of the world, Wladamir Klitschko. It will take place in London, at Wembley Stadium, in front of a record crowd of NINETY THOUSAND people. That is incredible. A fight with two of the biggest heavyweights on the planet, on the biggest stage, for Three Heavyweight titles (IBF; WBA; IBO). Yet, I have rarely seen a blip of advertising or promotion for the bout. What gives?
Joshua is a relative new comer, sure, but he was a former Olympic Gold Medalist (same as Klitschko), he is young, handsome, built like a Greek god and has finished every single one of his fights in the manner that many casual to extreme boxing fans want…by the knockout.
Klitschko is the 41 year old living legend. Former world champion twice over, married to a Hollywood actress (Hayden Panettiere), Olympic Gold, 64 wins. This is a dream matchup.
Klitschko did have a boring style for a majority of his career, but did end a lot of his fights (53) by knockout. He is still an impressive 6’6”, with an 81” reach and a right hand that can be compared to many of the greatest fighters of the past. He, unfortunately has not fought since his loss to Tyson Fury in 2015. Maybe people think he will have too much ring rust to compete with the young lion, Joshua. I don’t think that can be true, Joshua is a slight favorite in Vegas at -230, Klitschko +175.
As far as Joshua being the favorite, who has he really competed against to be so certain he can take on the legend of Klitschko. Joshua’s biggest win was against Kevin Johnson? Dillian Whyte? Dominic Breazeale? He has never gone the distance in a fight, never even been in the Championship rounds.
It is a fantastic matchup of two of the top heavyweights in the world today. It is going to be a grand event. Showtime will air the fight live in the United States, while HBO will air the replay later that night. Only the third time the cable competitors have merged to telecast a boxing event.
The winner will be a unified champion, and for right now, the king of the Heavyweight division.
