COMMENT: Mighty wall stands in AJ’s way on path to superstardom

Andy Lewis 14:09 28/04/2017
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  • Anthony Joshua.

    Anthony Joshua started late in boxing but has been way ahead of the curve ever since, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a major surprise that he will attempt to unify heavyweight titles against an all-time great in just the 19th fight of his professional career.

    AJ began boxing at 18, was a world silver medallist at 21, won Olympic gold a year later and became a world champion, aged 26, in just his 16th professional bout.

    So far, the stars have always aligned for him. He’s risen to every challenge, aced every test, beaten every man put in front of him and ridden an inexorable wave of momentum all the way.

    With it has come fame, riches, glory and more hype than a heavyweight boxer has received since a young Mike Tyson hit the scene like a wrecking ball in the mid-1980s.

    Thus far it has all been almost too easy, so naturally the sceptics label him untested, and ask what happens when he takes a clean shot? What happens when the man he hits doesn’t move? And what will happen when he’s taken into the soul-ravaging late rounds of a championship bout?

    Some of those doubts may linger on afterwards, but victory over Wladimir Klitschko at a sold out Wembley Stadium on Saturday would go a long way to legitimising all of that hype.

    Challenges don’t come much bigger in heavyweight boxing, with the Ukrainian, even at the age of 41 and coming off a loss to Tyson Fury, still operating at levels far above any of the vanquished on Joshua’s resume. One defeat doesn’t instantly make you a bad fighter.

    The burning question, of course, is that is it too soon? Have Joshua and his team gotten carried away with the momentum, has he been fast-tracked into a situation he can’t handle against a man who has seen it all in a glittering career and is obsessed with proving he’s still the best in the game?

    The answer will be played out in front of a record crowd at England’s national stadium, but what should give confidence to Joshua and all those who back him is the opinion of his mentor Rob McCracken.

    Most famous for his work with Carl Froch, McCracken is perhaps the finest trainer in Britain, and has been honing Joshua’s craft for some time in his role as coach to his country’s top prospects at the Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Ultimately, it was McCracken who had final say in sanctioning this fight, and his judgement is seldom awry.

    “Timing is everything in boxing,” said Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn this week referring to the perception that Klitschko’s powers have diminished, adding that: “Rob fancies the job.”

    If indeed they are correct, and Joshua delivers, it will establish him as the biggest draw in boxing and push him to the threshold of global superstardom. Already the most popular sportsman in Britain, Joshua looks the part, acts the part, is dedicated to his craft and, above all, delivers highlight reel knockouts. His brand is thriving.

    A record 90,000 fans will cram into Wembley – Hearn insists he could have filled it three times over. Sky Sports expect to exceed 1.5 million pay per view buys in Britain, while Joshua will earn a purse of £10 million (Dh47m), plus millions more from his multitude of lucrative endorsements.

    As the old saying goes: “There’s boxing and then there’s heavyweight boxing.”

    AJ has conquered his homeland, next he wants the world. Historically, the aim for British fighters has always been to crack America and there’s massive interest in this fight stateside.

    For one, it will be only the third fight – after Lewis/Tyson and Mayweather/Pacquiao – where the two major players in US boxing, HBO and Showtime, have collaborated for joint coverage.

    Joshua is perhaps one more destructive performance away from luring a legion of new fans in boxing’s traditional heartland.

    And with America’s own WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in attendance Saturday, it’s a fairly clear indication of their future plans. That fight would be huge. A British grudge match with a returning Tyson Fury even bigger.

    Klitschko stands in the way. Knock him down and Joshua will deserve all that follows.

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