Anthony Joshua has defeated Wladimir Klitschko by stopping him in round 11 after incredible fight which could have gone either-way until the stoppage. Joshua now retain his IBF title and also captured both WBA and IBO heavyweight bets.
The fight started as many had expected with Joshua dominating first half of the fight and also knocked down Klitschko in round 5. However Ukrainian came storming back when in round six he rocked Joshua who hit the canvas for the first time ever in his pro career. Klitschko looked to have got the upper hand in middle to late rounds but Joshua’s youth came to rescue as round 11 turned out to be a the deciding factor where superb upper cut rocked Klitschko and Joshua dropped him twice before unleashing flurry of punches where referee had no other chance but to stop the fight.
Klitschko was knocked down in round 5 but he came back stronger and made a fight of it in later round.
Joshua himself hit the canvas for the very first time in his professional career in round 6 and looked rocked for a few rounds after that
In the end Klitschko’s age caught up with him as youthful Joshua passed his very first stern test in flying colours. He now has IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight belts to his name.
Anthony Joshua is set to take on Wladimir Klitschko in much awaited heavyweight bout on Saturday night, 29th April 2017 at the sold out 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium. It will be one of the most watched heavyweight fight of recent history where Joshua can finally make a mark at elite lever while Klitschko has the chance to wrap up his incredible career with a big big scalp what could be his last career fight.
Joshua vs Klitschko Official Weigh-in: Anthony Joshua tipped the friday night official weigh-in scale at 17st 12lbs 2oz around 10lbs heavier than Klitschko and looked in pretty good shape. While Wladimir himself looked like a prime shape weighing at 17st 2lb 6ozs. According to boxing experts, Klitschko coming in lighter than many expected will be hoping to produce faster hands unlike his previous bout against Fury where he was tired early in the fight and never let go his usual jabs and consistent punches.
Joshua is heavily favored going into the fight with odds given in his favour at around 1/2 and that is likely to drop even more after the weigh-ins. While Klitschko is a master deceptive and he might have a trick or two up his sleeves. He goes into the fight with odds at around 2-1.
That is not the only big fight of the night, there are couple of exciting matchups on the undercard including Scott Quigg taking on Viorel Simion while Luke Campbell fight Darleys Perez. Women boxer Katie Taylor continue his resurgance to elite boxing when she take on Nina Meinke.
The coverage of the night begins at around 06:00 p.m uk time with Sky Box Office producing live coverage of the big night. While US viewers can watch the fight live on HBO (non-PPV). However if you missed the live action, of the fight you can always tune in here for full fight replay available couple of hours after the fight.
what a night its going to be
As excited when Ali was boxing
Please