If Wladimir Klitschko was in his prime, could he beat Anthony Joshua?
vs , was a professional boxing match contested on 29 April 2017 at in , England, with Joshua's and the vacant and titles on the line. Joshua won the match via (TKO) in the eleventh round with 90,000 fans in attendance. Klitschko announced his retirement from boxing a few months after the fight. The bout was named and the .
Days after the Fury rematch was called off, Klitschko was approached by Joshua's promoter, . Terms seemed to have been agreed for a £30m showdown, although an initial contract was yet to be signed. After Fury gave up his world titles, it was said that Klitschko wanted the title on the line in the potential match up against Joshua. The WBA delayed sanctioning the fight due to having a legal settlement with , who was next in line to fight for the vacant title. Klitschko then turned his attention to fighting Browne instead on 10 December, a date that his team had booked for an arena in Germany. A deal could not be finalised for Joshua vs. Klitschko, due to the WBA delaying a decision to sanction the fight and Klitschko injuring himself, which put the fight off completely. Klitschko said he would be looking to fight Joshua in the first quarter of 2017. Talks between the Klitschko camp and Hearn remained active with a fight set for the first part of 2017.
Immediately after Joshua the win, Klitschko was invited into the ring by Hearn. It was announced that Joshua and Klitschko would face each other for the IBF and vacant WBA (Super) titles at , London, on 29 April 2017. WBA president Gilberto J. Mendoza confirmed that the winner would have to face next, with deadlines due to be set after the unification fight. It was then confirmed that the winner between Joshua and Klitschko had to face Kubrat Pulev next as the IBF's mandatory challenger.
Scorecard: Joshua gets up from canvas to KO Klitschko
In front of a post-war record crowd of 90,000 in attendance, Joshua won by (TKO) in the eleventh round. They fought a close and cautious first four rounds. In the fifth, Joshua came out and sent Klitschko to the canvas with a barrage of punches. Klitschko rose up and took control for the remainder of the round and scoring his own knockdown in round six. The next few rounds were again cautious, both men wary of each other, until a reinvigorated Joshua attacked Klitschko in round eleven, sending him to the canvas. Klitschko again rose but Joshua knocked him down for a second time in the round, then sent a barrage of punches while Klitschko was against the ropes that made the referee stop the fight.
At the time of stoppage, Joshua was ahead on two judges' scorecards with 96–93 and 95–93, while the third judge had Klitschko ahead at 95–93. stats showed that Joshua landed 107 of his 355 punches thrown (30%), and Klitschko landed 94 of 256 (37%). Joshua called out Tyson Fury in the post fight interview, "Tyson Fury, where you at, baby? Come on -- that's what they want to see. I just want to fight everyone. I'm really enjoying this right now."
In the press conference after the fight, Joshua said he would have no issues with having another fight with Klitschko, "I don’t mind fighting him again, if he wants the rematch. Big respect to Wladimir for challenging the young lions of the division. It’s up to him, I don’t mind. As long as Rob thinks it’s good I’m good to go." Hearn said Joshua's next fight would likely take place at the end of the year, possibly at the in . On 3 August 2017, Klitschko announced on his official website and social media channels that he was retiring from boxing.
The domestic television rights to the fight were held by , while radio rights were held by . In the United States, as rights to Joshua and Klitschko's fights have historically been held by the two networks respectively, an arrangement was made for both and to hold rights to this fight. In a contrast to , which was broadcast via a PPV jointly produced by both networks, HBO and Showtime produced their own separate telecasts as part of their respective and brands, and Showtime beat HBO for exclusive rights to broadcast the fight live in the U.S. (where it occurred in the afternoon hours in the ). Likewise, HBO broadcast the bout on later in the night.
Joshua vs. Klitschko fight card: Full list of undercard bouts
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will combine for a huge fight, but there’s also a packed undercard worth watching.
Joshua beat Klitschko in front of a mega 90,000 at Wembley Stadium
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will combine for the biggest fight of the year when they meet on Saturday.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko Special Preview Boxing Show
Watching the undercard in the United States will be difficult, as it is exclusive to Sky Box Office in the U.K. Showtime has the Joshua vs. Klitschko fight in the United States, beginning at 4:15 p.m. ET, which means only the main event will be televised.
INSIGHT Wladimir Klitschko: I Totally Get Anthony Joshua
The Joshua vs. Klitschko fight will be for the former’s IBF heavyweight belt as well as the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles. It pits one of the best young boxers in the sport in Joshua stepping up to fight an absolute legend in Klitschko.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko: 18 fights, 18 KOs..
Heavyweight: Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko
Featherweight: Scott Quigg vs. Viorel Simion
Lightweight: Luke Campbell vs. Darleys Perez
Women’s lightweight: Katie Taylor vs. Nina Meinke
Welterweight: Josh Kelly vs. Faheem Khan
Cruiserweight: Lawrence Okolie vs. Russ Henshaw
Super featherweight: Joe Cordina vs. Sergej Vib
Anthony Joshua beats Wladimir Klitschko by KO
Anthony Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko by technical knockout in the 11th round on Saturday, April 29th, 2017, at Wembley Stadium, London.
Anthony Joshua beats Wladimir Klitschko in 11th round ..
The stats suggested Joshua had an advantage in power over Klitschko, with a 100% knockout percentage compared to Klitschko's 83%.
Joshua by TKO/KO (-150) over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017
Joshua was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 50 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2013, 16 years and 10 months later than Klitschko, whose first professional fight was in 1996. He had fought 202 fewer professional rounds, totaling 167 compared to Klitschko's 369.
Anthony Joshua: The Road to Klitschko
90,000 crazed fans will fill Wembley Stadium to root on their countryman Anthony Joshua in his quest to take the boxing world by the balls. Standing in his way is the former kingpin of the heavyweight division Wladimir Klitschko. It’s a classic tale of youth versus experience in a vintage match that could tilt the balance to the next generation.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko (2017)
If Joshua wins, especially convincingly a new era will be ushered in not just in the division but a new star will be born the world over. A Klitschko victory heightens his long-term legacy and at the same time cheapens the rest of the division to an extent moving forward besides Tyson Fury.