By Peter Silkov
When
Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18koes) clashes with Wladimir Klitschko (64-4,
53koes) this Saturday April 29th
at Wembley Stadium, it will be a pivotal fight for both men, and also
for the heavyweight division itself. This is a classic match between
youth and experience. Can Klitschko derail the ascent of the young
Joshua? In many ways Wladimir Klitschko has been one of the most
unappreciated heavyweight champions of all time.
Despite his near
decade long domination of the heavyweights, which was ended abruptly
in November 2015 when he was out-boxed and out-psyched by Tyson Fury,
Wladimir has never received the plaudits that his skills really
deserve. Part of this is due to his early defeats, which have left a
blemish upon his reputation, up until this very day. Forget that
Wladimir has not lost a fight inside the distance for well over a
decade now, he is still and will probably always be, viewed as a
fighter with a weak chin and questionable heart. Many people regard
these early blots on the Ukrainian’s record as proof that Joshua
can take care of Wladimir in the same manner that he has dispatched
his previous 18 professional opponents, yet Wladimir is in a
different league to anyone whom Joshua has faced so far in his
professional career.
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| Photo:Boxingnewsonline |
Joshua’s severest test so far, was his
December 2015 meeting with Dillian Whyte, in a fight that saw him
stretched for the first, and only time, and visibly shaken on at
least 3 occasions. Although Joshua finally won this clash in
impressive fashion, it still left some lingering questions.
Especially about the durability of his chin. Quite simply, during his
professional career, Anthony Joshua has not been hit enough cleanly,
thus far, for us to know whether he really has the durability to make
it at the top level. Saturday might should reveal the answer.
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| K2promos.com |
Klitschko
has had more world title fights than Joshua has had actual
professional fights, and this edge in experience could well prove to
be a crucial advantage for the Ukrainian. At the age of 41 years old,
Klitschko may have lost the freshness of youth, but the wisdom of
experience can often make up for this loss, especially in an athlete
who is dedicated to looking after himself.
One
line of thought is that Wladimir’s defeat to Tyson Fury in November
2015, was a sign that he was slipping as a fighter. Yet this is a
risky assumption to make, due to the fact that in Tyson Fury,
Wladimir met the most unorthodox opponent of his career, who was also
a man inspired upon that night. Fury’s subsequent out of the ring
problems could see him becoming one of the division's saddest stories
of wasted talent.
The
Tyson Fury of that night would always have gave Wladimir a headache,
yet Anthony Joshua is a totally different fighter to Fury, and will
not pose the problems for Klitschko that Tyson created.
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| Photo: Telegraph |
Wladimir
has often been derided as boring, but much of this is due to him
winning so many of his fights in an one-sided manner, such has been
his superiority over most of his challengers through the years.
Wladimir is one of the most technically gifted heavyweights we have
ever seen, but a lack of talented challengers has seen him deprived
of the kind of defining fights that might have helped him gain the
kind of recognition and popularity, which the heavyweight greats of
the past enjoyed. Ironically, Saturday’s clash against Anthony
Joshua may well gain, for Klitschko, the kind of plaudits that have
always eluded him until now, should he emerge victorious.
This
is a clash that will define the shape of the heavyweight division,
according to who comes out victorious. Once the most magnetic
division in boxing, the heavyweights have struggled over the past two
decades to capture the imagination of the public. It could be argued
that a Joshua win would be better for boxing than a Klitschko
victory, but what the division needs now, above all else, is a
definitive world number one. Taking into account the continued
absence of Tyson Fury, the winner on Saturday night will have good
reason to call himself the best active heavyweight in the world at
the present time.
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| Photo: soloboxeo.com |
Already
Saturday's fight has turned the clock back somewhat to the golden
days of the past when the heavyweight championship commanded vast
attention whenever it was fought over. The build up to the match
between the two men has also been refreshingly polite and free from
the kind of distasteful insults and controversies that have become so
common in recent ‘big’ fights.
Many
questions will be answered on Saturday, April 29. The biggest
questions, being, how much has Wladimir got left, and how good is
Anthony Joshua, should provide fascinating viewing. Not many of
Wladimir Klitschko’s fights have been genuinely exciting, yet
Saturday night may well prove to be different.
Perhaps
the biggest question mark hanging over Wladimir is not so much his
age, but the affect of him having 17 months out of the ring before
this fight. No matter how fit you are, competitive inactivity can be
a curse for an athlete, especially a boxer. Yet perversely, it can
also be a benefit. The layoff may well have allowed Wladimir to
recharge his batteries, rest his body, and renew his hunger.
Certainly the indications in the fight's build-up have been that
Wladimir comes across as a far happier and more relaxed man than the
person who seemed tense and moody in the run up to the Tyson Fury
match. Wladimir knows that it is Joshua who will enter the Wembley
Stadium ring on Saturday with the expectations of 90,000 fans on his
shoulders. All indications are that Joshua will be the favourite to
win on Saturday night, despite the huge gulf in experience, and
technical ability between the two men.
One
aspect that has also been underplayed in the run up to this match is
the fact that, despite his so called ‘boring’ fighting style,
Wladimir Klitschko has still managed to score 53 knockouts in his 64
victories as a professional. While Joshua enters this match with the
reputation as a dynamite punching knockout machine, Klitschko in
reality can boast to have proven his own punching power at the
highest level for well over a decade. Indeed, it may be the power of
Klitschko which is the biggest danger to Joshua in this fight.
With
most of his victories coming in the first three rounds, Anthony
Joshua will be at his most dangerous in the early part of this
contest. At the same time however, he will have to take risks in
trying to achieve an early end to the fight. Klitschko’s fast and
accurate hands have seen many of his previous opponents picked off
and dispatched early, and there is the chance that if he is not
careful that this will happen to Joshua. He cannot afford to be
caught and hurt like he was by Dillion Whyte. If Wladimir catches
him in the same way he is unlikely to be allowed the time to recover.
Wladimir has proved himself time and again a cold and efficient
finisher when he has an opponent hurt.
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| Photo: BoxingNews.com |
Wladimir’s
main vulnerability in this fight will come from Joshua’s strength
and power. Yet, Klitshcko has not been stopped by an opponent since
2004, when Lamon Brewster stopped him in 5 rounds. Thanks to the
tutorledge of his late trainer, Emanuel Steward, Wladimir became a
much smoother, and technically adept boxer, following the Brewster
loss. He has built a 22-fight winning streak over the next 11 years,
until he ran into the enigmatic talent, which is Tyson Fury.
The
longer this fight goes on the more it should suit Wladimir. It is
very unlikely that Joshua will be able to out-box Klitschko,
especially over a long distance, and while his strength will make him
dangerous early, will he be able to carry his power into the later
rounds against a boxer like Wladimir.
In
the event of the match going beyond the first 6 rounds, Wladimir’s
experience will become increasingly important. Joshua is undoubtedly
strong, with a big punch, but how will his stamina fare in a longer
fight at this level?
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| Photo: RingNews24 |
This
is a contest with a number of possible outcomes. Joshua will always
have a puncher's chance, but Wladimir is not an easy target. Despite
his age, there seems to be no reason to suppose that Klitschko has
suddenly fallen apart as a boxer. The early rounds will be crucial
for both men, and the end could come suddenly for either man in the
first 3 rounds. What is more likely though, is that Wladimir
negotiates the early rounds, and slowly takes over the contest, as
his advantages in experience and technical ability make themselves
count. It has been said in the build up to this showdown, that
Joshua is getting Wladimir Klitschko at just the right time, but in
the end, the opposite may be proved to be true. On Saturday night,
Wladimir Klitschko will prove himself to be just a step too far for
Anthony Joshua, and will either stop him somewhere between the 6th
and 9th rounds, or
emerge victorious with a clear point's decision.
