Anthony Joshua Vs Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley is an absolute no-brainer
Joshua’s clash with old Dr Steelhammer of Ukraine is an authentic fight to stop the planet - and 90,000 could be there
VERY few fights have the pulling power to pack out Wembley Stadium.
But for Anthony Joshua versus Wladimir Klitschko, the choice of venue was a no-brainer.
And despite the national stadium only exhibiting the noble art once in a blue moon, Joshua has already experienced fight night at Wembley as a competitor and a fan.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest boxing news, gossip and rumours
The only boxing show staged at the new Wembley was Carl Froch’s Battle of Britain super-middleweight victory over George Groves in May 2014 — when Joshua kicked off the action at the foot of the bill, then joined 80,000 punters to marvel at the main event.
The box-office value of Froch-Groves II was a freakish phenomenon, built on the apparent injustice of Groves’ stoppage in the pair’s original scrap.
But Joshua’s clash with old Dr Steelhammer of Ukraine is an authentic fight to stop the planet — the brightest young heavyweight on Earth against the veteran who dominated the division for a decade and is desperate to win back his crown.
Anthony Joshua's fight against Wladimir Klitschko will stop the planet
It will be the richest and best-attended contest ever held on British soil, attracting more punters to Wembley than Froch-Groves, Frank Bruno’s world-title fights against Oliver McCall and Tim Witherspoon, or Henry Cooper’s 1963 epic against Cassius Clay.
Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes to jam in 90,000 on April 29 but Joshua is unfazed by the scale of the event.
In his sixth professional fight, the young Olympic champion stopped Matt Legg in just 83 seconds to kick off that last Wembley show.
Joshua, 27, said: “I’m calm. I’ve been at Wembley before, although there were only about 3,000 people in there at half past five! But, 90,000 people or nine people, it’s the same.
Related Stories
“For the Matt Legg fight I remember the ring was tiny. Before I knew it he was in my corner swinging hooks.
“I was raw, I took a few but I managed to get him outta there.
“I was happy going on first because I wanted to watch Froch and Groves. That was a rare chance when I could sit back and watch a fight. It was sick. I was out there with the 80,000 people watching.
“It showed how boxing can capture people’s attention.”That night, Hearn predicted Joshua would be headlining Wembley Stadium within three years. For once, it was no promotional hyperbole.
Within seconds of Joshua’s emphatic third-round stoppage of American journeyman Eric Molina in Manchester in the early hours of yesterday, the Londoner was staring out Klitschko after Hearn’s speedy announcement of their showdown.
A super-fight with Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko awaits Anthony Joshua
The Ukrainian will be 41 by fight night and will not have fought for 17 months since losing his crown to Tyson Fury.
There is genuine mutual respect between Joshua and Klitschko, and Hearn is adamant his man must not be drawn into taking a ‘nicey-nicey’ attitude into the ring.
But there is a relentlessness about Joshua’s attitude towards his future which makes that seem unlikely.
Asked whether this fight would define him, Joshua said: “If I beat him I’m great, if I lose they’ll say, ‘He’s a hype job’. But it’s just another fight, man.
“The winner will be the world’s No 1 heavyweight but then I’ve got to prove it again and again and again. That’s why it don’t mean nothing. You’ve got to keep going and going and going.
“When I sit back and I’m done with, then I’ll say, ‘Yeah, I bossed this s***’. But now you keep on going.
“You can’t get carried away. You beat Klitschko, then they’ll say, ‘You’ve got to beat David Haye’, then (Luis) Ortiz and then Fury comes out of retirement and then you’ve got to do it all again.
“Age will play a big role but I can’t think I’m going to win because Klitschko’s older.
“One punch can change a fight but I intend to be sharp and let youth be on my side.
“I didn’t think Klitschko would still be around but that’s what good living and being a true athlete can do. He is still here and he’s a sharp operator.
“But look at Bernard Hopkins — he’s 52 in January and fighting next week.
“If I could go on and not take too much punishment and learn the skills and the true science of boxing, I’ll stay around as long as my body holds up.”
Joshua believes Klitschko is motivated by one last hurrah, knowing he is the only opponent who could attract a major final payday.
AJ said: “I don’t think he needs the dough but is he going to own the division again? We’re talking about longevity with me, but is Klitschko going to be around that long? Maybe this is just to stamp his mark.
It’s his last hurrah, isn’t it?
“A lot of people want to fight me before (they think) I am ready. But if the money was on the table elsewhere, these fighters wouldn’t be calling my name out.
“They know the interest I can generate. If there wasn’t that money on the table, I don’t think Klitschko would want to fight me. It’s risk and reward.
“I told him in the ring, ‘I’ve got respect for you — but this is competition’.”