London – Heavyweight titans Anthony Joshua, the defending IBF world champion, and Hall of Fame former world champion Wladimir Klitschko electrified London’s Wembley Stadium Saturday night, treating 90,000 boxing fans to 11 rounds of riveting action. The bout included four knockdowns between the two men, and culminated in an 11th round technical knockout victory by new unified champion Joshua.
The United Kingdom’s power-punching Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) entered the fight with a bevy of questions hanging over the legitimacy of his supremacy in boxing’s grandest division. The young champion’s resume featured only two experiences beyond the third round. Critics questioned his agility, demeanor, chin, stamina, defensive ability and whether he’d have a Plan B in the event an opponent could endure or elude his power. Was his physique problematic?
The division’s stalwart, Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs), found himself coming into the fight having to answer questions about his abilities he hadn’t heard since losses to Corrie Sanders in 2003 and Lamon Brewster in 2004. Both defeats are knockout losses the youngest Klitschko brother would begin to move beyond after getting up off the canvas three times to defeat Samuel Peter in 2005. Saturday night, Klitschko was making a return to the ring following a lackluster showing in a unanimous decision loss to the wayward Tyson Fury.
The major difference in this bounce back fight for Klitschko? Trainer Johnathon Banks’ prowess in leading reclamation projects are unknown relative to Klitschko’s former trainer the late Emanuel Steward’s track record.
Fortunately, for both fight fans around the world viewing on TV and those in attendance at Wembley, Klitschko’s early movement indicated Joshua was facing a motivated challenger who posed a legitimate threat. Joshua edged out the first couple of rounds of action as both men mainly operated from outside, exchanging jabs and adjusting to one another’s motion.
Klitschko connected with a solid right cross in the second round which the young champion handled well, and responded by picking up the pace considerably early in round three. Klitschko’s right hand wasn’t a featured part of the offense in much of the first quarter of the scheduled twelve rounds, but he touched Joshua with another solid shot at the top of the fourth round. Joshua scored with a stiff right jab to close the round.
In the subsequent round Joshua’s offense featured the sense of urgency some may have expected from the outset of the fight. His heightened work rate negated Klitschko’s movement and footwork the Ukranian maintained through the first four rounds, and after handing out a sustained period of punishment Joshua connected with a crushing left hook that sent the 41-year old veteran to the canvas. Surprisingly, Klitschko quickly got to his feet, and he even managed to connect with some left hands that further complicated matters for a clearly fatigued Joshua. The champion finished the round both dazed and gassed following the energy exerted over the first half of the round.
Klitschko’s momentum carried over into the sixth round where he dropped Joshua with a jab-overhand right combination that easily made its way through Joshua’s degraded technique. The knockdown was the first of Joshua’s career, but he managed to get back to his feet looking for solutions as opposed to a full-blown panic one would expect from a fighter in his 19th fight facing an opponent who just held a heavyweight title for nearly 10 years.
Klitschko – at 6′ 6″ and slightly over 240 pounds – resumed his side-to-side movement and feinting in round seven while Joshua continued to struggle with regaining his offensive attack, as well as any semblance of his earlier defensive stance. While essentially surviving on years of gym work, Joshua began reassuring himself and his opponent all systems were still a go by repeatedly talking to Klitschko. Klitschko failed to capitalize on this period of the fight, landing few power shots and taking advantage of Joshua’s sporadic activity.
The 6′ 6″ 250-pound 27-year old champion amazingly figured out the secrets to fighting under duress on-the-go, and after gradually recovering his faculties over two rounds, by the 9th Joshua began adding some body work to his improving jabbing.
In round ten Klitschko’s movement continued to keep him out of the way of the shots that caused the knockdown earlier in the fight, but over this same period of time Joshua demonstrated that he could anticipate shots and be more elusive than his size would suggest. He bent at the waist and knees a number of times, and slipped out of the way of some Klitschko right hands. However, Klitschko’s bill for the failure to punish Joshua during his recovery rounds arrived in the 11th.
Joshua stormed out and rocked Klitschko at the opening of the round, seconds later he snuck in a short left hook before a clinch, then the champion finally connected with crushing right uppercut with nearly full extension. The shot looked like it would end Klitschko’s record 29th heavyweight title fight, but again he quickly got up after his second knockdown of the evening. The former champion continued on as if there was still a way to use the current champion’s inexperience against him. Moments later another Joshua right hand sent him to the canvas a third time.
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Klitschko got up again, with his legs even less under him, and after Joshua moved in with another punishing flurry along the ropes, referee David Fields stepped in between the two men to halt the fight with 35 seconds to go in the round. The 90,000 fans erupted in celebration after witnessing an instant classic title fight capped off by their young countryman overcoming unbelievable adversity to possibly send off an all-time heavyweight champion.
Klitschko exemplified true class back in December when the fight was first announced by promoter Eddie Hearn following Joshua’s second title defense victory over Eric Molina. He showed class after failing to become heavyweight world champion for a third time, but only time will whether Klitschko intends to pursue a rematch per the two-fight agreement both camps agreed to for this bout. Packing Wembley Stadium for a second fight ostensibly makes sense financially – Klitschko also closes out a Hall of Fame career in 0-2 fashion.
Perhaps Klitschko could be self-serving, and no reasonable fan should object to him demanding the potential rematch Joshua alluded to in his post-fight comments. The thing is Joshua also playfully called out former heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury in his post-fight comments, and his comeback victory versus Klitschko portends the kid is more than ready to take on the likes of Fury and WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
The heavyweight division’s remainder of 2017 and 2018 signal a resurgence of some of the best competition to be seen in all of sports.
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