If Wladimir Klitschko was in his prime, could he beat Anthony Joshua?
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.
Scorecard: Joshua gets up from canvas to KO Klitschko
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.
The fight's cumulative worldwide audience is estimated to be 500 million viewers. In the United Kingdom, the fight set a domestic record, with 1.532million buys, exceeding the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight. At a viewing price of £20 ($26), the Joshua–Klitschko fight grossed approximately £31million ($40million) in pay-per-view revenue. In total, the fight generated an estimated £50million () in revenue from all sources, including live gate, pay-per-view, and overseas broadcasting.
Anthony Joshua beat Wladimir Klitschko by technical knockout in the 11th round on Saturday, April 29th, 2017, at Wembley Stadium, London.
The stats suggested Joshua had an advantage in power over Klitschko, with a 100% knockout percentage compared to Klitschko's 83%.
Joshua vs. Klitschko fight card: Full list of undercard bouts
In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Tyson Fury on November 28, 2015, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Heavyweight, IBF World Heavyweight, WBO World Heavyweight and The Ring Heavyweight championship fight at ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Joshua beat Klitschko in front of a mega 90,000 at Wembley Stadium
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.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko Special Preview Boxing Show
Wladimir Klitschko's prediction for his heavyweight showdown with Anthony Joshua has finally been revealed.
INSIGHT Wladimir Klitschko: I Totally Get Anthony Joshua
Joshuan otteluista vain neljä on jatkunut vähintään neljänteen erään asti lontoolaisen iskettyä 16 vastustajaansa kanveesin kolmen ensimmäisen erän aikana. Vain Carlos Takam sekä Vladimir Klitschko ovat kestäneet yli kymmen erää ammattilaiskehässä vuoden 2012 Lontoon olympialaisten kultamitalistin käsittelyssä. Parkerin kolme viimeisintä voittoa on tullut vasta 12 erän jäkeen, joten uusiseelantilaisella pitäisi olla edellytykset venyttää ratkaisu myöhempiin eriin.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko: 18 fights, 18 KOs..
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 beats Wladimir Klitschko by KO
"He said I will gas out, I will try to knock him out and as I come rushing in he will catch me with a right hand and knock me clean out," he said on the recent BBC documentary Joshua v Klitschko: Return to Wembley.
Anthony Joshua beats Wladimir Klitschko in 11th round ..
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.
Joshua by TKO/KO (-150) over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017
Just how much does Wladimir Klitschko have left in the tank facing a primed athletic fighter? Hopefully for his sake more than what was on display back in late November 2015 in a lopsided defeat to Tyson Fury. To pile on a foothill of reasons why the Ukrainian native is the betting underdog, is the old saying of father-time remaining unbeaten. If that’s the case, Saturday the dreaded father-time could feast on an aged man returning from his longest stretch of inactivity.