LONDON — Welcome to the Anthony Joshua era. The undefeated fighter staked his claim to heavyweight supremacy by overcoming a sixth round knockdown to stop former undisputed champion and future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko in 11 rounds before 90,000 rabid fans at Wembley Stadium.
Although Klitschko displayed spry footwork in the early rounds, it was Joshua who was the active puncher. The titlist kept Klitschko backpeadling with pushing jabs and overhand rights. However, Klitschko remained dangerous by catching most of those shots on the gloves and landed several strong right hands in the second and fourth.
A dramatic fifth round saw Joshua storm out and hurt Klitschko with a clubbing right hand. He continued the blitzing assault to cut Klitschko over the left eye and score a knockdown. The challenger proved resilient by crashing in multiple left hooks to stun a fatigued Joshua to close the stanza.
It would be the patented Klitschko 1-2 followed by a left hook that produced the most perilous moment of Joshua’s career in round six. He was dropped early in the round and forced to survive off the backfoot as Klitschko pursued with lead hooks. Klitschko built his momentum further by controlling the action with a ramrod jab in rounds 7-8.
Gradually, Joshua worked his way back into the fight. He outworked Klitshko in rounds 9-10 by focusing his attack on the body. However, Klitschko still was in a position to close the bout, as evidenced by a heavy right hand that punctuated the 10th.
Joshua seized the final advantage in the 11th by exploiting Klitschko’s clinching. He rocked the former champion with a vicious right uppercut that lead to another knockdown. Joshua quickly floored Klitschko again with a right hand for a third knockdown. Klitschko rose again but was trapped in a corner and unable to hold, forcing the referee to call the bout.
Joshua improves to 19-0 and is now the unified IBF and WBA champion. A rematch clause is in place. Should Klitschko not exercise it, Joshua named-checked domestic rival and lineal champion Tyson Fury as a potential opponent.
LONDON — The weights are official for tomorrow’s big heavyweight showdown between IBF titlist Anthony Joshua and former undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko. Joshua’s weight of 250 is the highest of his career. Over his previous five fights, the champion has tallied an average of 246. Klitschko’s two years away from the ring has resulted in his lowest weight since 2009. The former champ tipped the scales at a trim 240, five pounds less than in his 2015 title loss to Tyson Fury.
Klitschko vs. Joshua airs live Saturday on Showtime at 4:15 p.m. ET.
We’re just days away from the biggest heavyweight matchup of the year in undefeated IBF titlist Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) taking on former undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs). BeatsBoxingMayhem is providing a live stream of today’s open workouts starting at 4:14 p.m. ET.
Joshua vs. Klitschko takes place this Saturday (April 29) on Showtime at 4:15 p.m. ET.
Expected the unexpected when it comes to the Sweet Science. This year had a good mix of established fighters and promising prospects getting their plans ruined by determined underdogs. Without further delay, here are BeatsBoxingMayhem’s top upsets for 2015.
10. WILLIE NELSON TKO9 TONY HARRISON 7/11/15
The goal of Premier Boxing Champions is to bring new stars to the masses. Tony Harrison appeared to fit the bill. He had the cockiness that comes with youth and a flashy style. He dogged Willie Nelson during the buildup, proclaiming him to have a glass jaw that he’d break. Nelson remained cool the entire time, right up until he shut Harrison’s mouth in the ninth round.
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9. BADOU JACK MD12 ANTHONY DIRRELL
Jack was thought to be chinny and not able to withstand Dirrell’s power. But the Mayweather Promotions standout put forth a gutsy, discplined performance to win his first world title.
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8. JONATHAN OQUENDO MD10 JHONNY GONZALEZ 9/12/15
Going into this fight, Oquendo had been a “close but no cigar” fighter. He was always competitive, but lost to the best fighters on his resume like Abner Mares and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. But on this night, he caught Gonzalez coming off a bad loss to Gary Russell Jr. and took full advantage. Oquendo was aggressive and weathered a first round knockdown to drop Gonzalez in the second. The judges rewarded him with the majority decision nod.
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7. JAMIE MCDONNELL UD12 TOMOKI KAMEDA 5/9/15
Kameda was thought to be too skilled for McDonnell, and early on that looked to be the case. But after being floored in the third, McDonnell gradually became the more active fighter while Kameda fought in spots. McDonnell’s workrate gave him the nod by the narrowest of margins (114-113 across the board). Four months later, McDonnell got another close (and disputed) decision over Kameda.
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6. MICHEL SORO TKO4 GLEN TAPIA 5/8/15
Tapia’s homecoming at the Prudential Center quickly morphed into a nightmare. Tapia would later state he was weak and lethargic due to problems making weight. Soro’s precision counter-punching didn’t help matters either.
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5. RENALD GARRIDO DQ6 BRADLEY SAUNDERS 9/19/15
Statistically, this was the biggest upset of the year with odds of +4000. What was supposed to be an exhibition bout got too real for Saunders when he was dropped hard in the sixth round. He resorted to fouling and got himself disqualified for throwing an intentional head butt. Victor Ortiz would’ve been proud.
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4. YVAN MENDY SD12 LUKE CAMPBELL12/12/15
After stopping Tommy Coyle in August, Luke Campbell seemed well on his way to climbing the UK ranks. Yvan Mendy derailed those plans starting with a left hook that put Campbell down in the fifth. By no means a one-sided affair, Campbell fought hard but was simply outsmarted on this night.
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3. ADRIAN GRANADOS TKO8 AMIR IMAM 11/28/15
Amir Imam calls himself the “Young Master” and proclaimed he was ready for the best at 140 pounds. Granados showed the kid he still has a lot to learn. Imam scored a big knockdown in the first, but seemed ill-prepared for the rough, pressure-filled strategy that Granados brought. The later rounds became more and more one-sided until Imam was rendered helpless on the ropes for a dramatic finish.
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2. ARON MARTINEZ UD10 DEVON ALEXANDER 10/14/15
People forget that at one time Devon was a Top 3 welterweight and a potential Mayweather opponent. Alexander was trying to get back on track after a year off following his loss to Amir Khan. When you consider Martinez’s showing against Robert Guerrero, Devon picking him wasn’t exactly the best idea.
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1. TYSON FURY UD12 WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO 11/28/15
We have to give Fury his due — the man backed up his words. No, it wasn’t pretty to watch, but he turned one of the most dominant champions of the last decade into an scared, indecisive fighter. Most acknowledged a Fury win was possible, but not like this. How many times have we seen a Hall of Fame bound champion give up their title so meekly?
Tyson Fury’s sophomoric antics were kept in check tonight as the well-prepared challenger executed a game plan predicated on length and movement to convincingly end Wladimir Klitschko’s nine-year reign as heavyweight champion.
Was the fight exciting? Until the last two rounds, absolutely not. Although this won’t be a dethroning that goes down in the pantheon of great boxing victories, it does provide something the heavyweight division has lacked for years — intrigue.
WLADIMIR BECOMES THE SMALL MAN FOR A CHANGE: Although Fury and Klitschko appeared to be the same height at the weigh-in, it was Fury who was the “bigger man” tonight. He nullified Klitschko’s jab by leaning back and constantly moving to keep Klitschko from getting set. The latter prevented Klitschko’s right hand from landing (on 18 power punches landed all night). And with his longer reach, Fury was able to jab without consequence.
NO PLAN B: Klitschko struggling with Fury’s awkwardness early on wasn’t a susprise, but the fact he couldn’t adjust proved shocking. He followed Fury around for long stretches and in many rounds was reduced to single digit connects. Fury’s confidence grew while Klitschko’s, hampered by bloody cuts from punches and butts, dimmed every round.
YOUR GREATEST ASSETS BECOMES YOUR DOWNFALL: Klitschko’s reign has been defined by two key traits: patience and caution. Wladimir was never reckless in the ring, methodically worked his jab, massive left hook and right hands. When the fights began heating up, he’d clinch to bring things back to easier pace.
Tonight, he was in with a foe that required him to jump out of his comfort zone. An opponent that had him fighting from behind on the cards, something foreign to both Klitschko brothers. As the rounds progressed, it become clear that Wladimir’s mindset prevented him from taking the risks needed to pull off a dramatic victory. Yes, Klitschko got in some hard right hands in the final round, but that was mostly a defensive reaction to Fury’s aggression over pursuing a KO.
INSULT TO INJURY: If a rematch happens, Wladimir Klitschko would be 40 years old when the bell rings. Is his heart still in the game? Granted, he wasn’t beaten badly from a physical standpoint, but he was clowned and easily shut down by a foe who trash-talked all the way through. Yes, the cliche of “great champions always bounce back” has been proven true through history. But at an age when most fighters are retired or mere shells of their former selves, Klitschko might be content to rest on his Hall of Fame laurels.
With that said, this stunt alone would have me wanting revenge.
GERMANY — “Let the games begin!” was Tyson Fury’s response after shaking hands with champion Wladimir Klitschko following their weigh-in earlier today.
Klitschko’s 245.3 pounds is a slight increase over the 241.5 he weighed for April’s defense against Bryant Jennings. Fury’s 246.4 is his lowest weight in over two years. In July 2012, Fury tipped the scales at 245 for a bout against Martin Rogan.
The fight airs Saturday on HBO World Championship Boxing at 4:45 p.m. ET.
Sky Sports’ Behind the Ropes series has two episodes giving a background look at the preparations of heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and challenger Tyson Fury, who face off November 28 on HBO.
