By Jim Dower: IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua won’t be treating Wladimir Klitschko any different than he has his other 18 opponents during his pro career when the two of them face each other on April 29, says his promoter Eddie Hearn. He says Joshua will stand directly in front of Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) and will be throwing his power shots as he normally does in his fights.
This is different type of opponent for the 27-year-old Joshua from the fighters that have been hand-picked for him by Hearn since he turned pro in 2013. There’s nothing wrong with Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) being a tiny bit cautious for this fight.
If he gets hit by one of Wladimir’s powerful left hooks or right hands, it could be game over for him on April 29. Joshua as never been clipped by a hard punch during his short 4-year pro career mainly because he’s not faced any punchers as of yet. You can thank Hearn for his skillful match-making he’s done for Joshua, as he’s been careful not to match him against fighters with the kind of power that could show his vulnerable side.
“I think he will be looking to stand in front of Klitschko and throw shots and fight like he always does,” Hearn said to Sky Sports News HQ. He doesn’t jump in, he’s not reckless, but both fighters know each other, they both feel confident about winning,” said Hearn.
Hearn is very likely correct about Joshua planning on standing in front of Klitschko and daring him to make him fight cautiously. Unless Wladimir hits Joshua with something hard enough to make him pause, he’s probably going to treat him much like he’s treated his past opponents like Eric Molina, Dominic Breazeale and Charles Martin.
Joshua knocked all three of them out once he discovered that they were unable to throw punches at him. All three of them froze under the lights and let Joshua do whatever he wanted without them throwing punches back at him. They all looked like they were afraid to be countered by Joshua. This made his job a lot easier than it would have been. None of them seemed to learn from watching Joshua’s previous fights to know that they couldn’t win by being passive.
“I think he’s looking forward to getting back into camp now. He knows it’s a lot of hard work ahead of him,” said Hearn about Joshua. “Just back in Sheffield now from Monday of this week, training up there a couple of times a day, three times a day, getting physio, the rehabilitation. He takes camp very seriously. He prides himself in working with the very best. He’s lucky to be based in Sheffield with Rob McCracken and he’s got everything he needs up there.”