Video: Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko - Preview & Prediction

LONG ANALYSIS




First lets throw all the fanboy B.S out the Window with this i favor anyone here...it DOESN'T matter to me who wins...Wlad is my favorite Fighter....Joshua is my favorite style who i think would be better for boxing!

What does each possess



POWER : Both have equal ability to k.o you. Joshua has better combination abilty, Wlad has faster hand speed per punch. Joshua has heavier power which can break threw your guard more. No one can really say , it doesnt matter really both can k.o each other with one punch.

OFFENSIVE Style : Inside: Joshua Outside : Klitchko

Edge : Joshua ,the aggressive pressure will almost have it always and i believe Joshua has it.


OFFENSIVE SKILL : Wlads one two and hooking off the jab and the jab itself is elite.Joshua is a just slightly less refined but he has more variety because he can throw fast combos without thinking on the fly. This can only be answered to who ecver makes it their fight.

Edge : Draw


DEFENSIVE SKILL: Joshua is more susceptible to getting hit,he is aggressive and forces the k.o on you. Wlad defense is basically using the jab and then clinchin when his opponents become to close. Wlad RARLEY gets hit with flush power shots and Joshua is getting better slipping and moving out of range.

Edge : Klitchko



SPEED : DRAW (Wlad is not as fast anymore/Joshua is underatted in this area)

FOOTWORK : Wlad can move at range and make it extremely difficult to get at him....Joshua on the other hand likes top stay close and just in reach to counter or jump into his opponents. With Wlads number of fights and ability.....

Edge : Wlad

CHIN : Not Appliable

Ring IQ /Ring Generalship / Experiance / Of course Klitchko


WEIGHT : not very important both between 240/250...Wlad will make the right adjusted weight as Joshua.its unrealistic to say who weighs what until weigh ins really,because one fighter can weigh more than the other or vice versa if both switch it up. there is no advantage when both are about 6'6 and 240 plus,its how each use the weight.


Summary


Klitchko : A defense cautionary first set up ,needs the jab to make everything happen without it he loses this fight and if he left hooks off the jab he can k.o Joshua bc he wont see it coming but the left hook is often not thrown enough otherwise you would have seen more Pulev like endings .

Joshua : A go forward aggressive pressure set up , he has the abilities to fight inside or out side and is the better counter puncher who has speed which is going to make him extremely dangerous here .

X FACTORS of what cancels out the other has usually : Wlads major weapon besides the jab is ability to force his opposition to go on the inside bc they simply cant out box him from the outside and that's where he utilises clinching and beats you up there ,either way he wins . Unfortunatly Joshua is 6'6 240/250 and will hold his own if this happens but unlike anyone hes fought , Joshua can rip power shots there and that's where he does his best work .I believe no matter how experienced Klitchko is he wont avoid having to out fight him on the inside. EDGE : Joshua

FIGHT CONTROL : Who ever can hit with more authority while utilizing footwork will dictate pace ,,Wlad has the edge here and will need it bc if he lets Joshua bull rush him and doesn't let him get comfortable its going to be a short fight bc Joshua isn't easy to hit as most ppl THINK and he can throw fast combinations from heady to body if he gets Wlad on the ropes and hurts him hes going to win . EDGE : Wlad


MENTAL TOUGHNESS : Klitchko knows what its like to survive fights alot more and certainly will be looking to crush his next opponent to show last one was an off night and continues to bring that here,Joshua is hungrier and wants to lay waste to the entire HW division without breaking sweat and thinks he will be on top for as long as hes fighting . Opposite is Wlad who knows limited time is not on his side and his legacy can be re written with this win alone ,he does not want to leave the game on an Loss . This makes BOTH guys confidence go up a level a win over Wlad will solidify Joshua as the best no question and for Wlad to beat such a young powerful opponent at 40 one will have to rethink his standing as an ATG and in my book puts him over Vitali . Its a TALL order , i think Joshua's train of thought the work effort and style will make it difficult and now hes fighting in front of 90,000 of mainly his home people. EDGE : Joshua


How can Wlad win:

Well he needs to want to win first as soon as he steps out of the tunnel and go in there like Joshua stole or killed someone close to him. He NEEDS to do this bc hes not getting into the ring with anyone normal,he has to be smart and looking for the k.o sooner than later an establish control because one Joshua spurt on him and it could spell doom. Can Wlad win ?

He needs to stay out of the clinch for prolonged periods and that could mean split second breaks to avoid Joshua killer inside punches. He needs to listen to his corner and have a do or die mentallity.If he throws alot of one two jabs hes bound to land and be able to keep throwing them at least in thee first few rounds to make Joshua think ,the longer the fight goes Klitchko may settle down and get into rythm or he may tire first?He has to take that chance and fire on all cylinders.

Anyone close to Wlad can win ,the question is can he win against a equal puncher who will be harder to control and the only way he really does that if he stops Joshua with the jab and if he has been working his uppercut bc this fight is somewhere going on the inside.And he will have to match some exchanges there to avoid a knock out. Joshua is a stone cold killer who rips vicious uppercuts there and then gets his shovel punches going that are powerful without even winding any punch up.


PREDICTED WINNER : Joshua 65% Chance I don't believe Wlad can survive 12 rounds with Joshua...he needs a knock out. Joshua is way to aggressive and with size will hit Wlad sooner than later,and its not going to be an advantage for a long range fighter the longer this goes,which gives the inside fighter the edge,and Joshua does not rest on the inside he throws killer body and head combinations.Looking on how a fighter improves from 15 to 20 fights is important which why when wlad fights Joshua we are not getting the Whyte / Breazeale or Molina version...

Expect Joshua to be a scary,powerful on point guy no playing around when he steps in the ring like hes never been....Klitchko HAS to be his best ability to win this and that points to Joshua being favored. One has to think a 6'6 athletic power puncher is going to get the job here against a Wlad that no one knows which Wlad is still able to pull the trigger of punching accurately and timing his punches against a very underated thinking Joshua who is very smart himself.


Would i bet Wlad ?..well if i had the extra $$$ i would . Lets be real..Wlad dangerous /smart and hes never lost twice in a row and has motivatiion.Unless you think he will do somethings i said then i would say yes. He is dedicating to Manny Steward so this COULD play a big deal into how hard he fights. Wlad has obvious the way more number of fights and rounds, Ive never seen anyone defeat a Wlad in 19 fights.

Larry Holmes at age 42 defeated Ray Mercer in his 19th fight and gave him his first loss. Will this be history repeating itself? Well Joshua is the most gifted fighter ive seen since Cus's Tyson. If you have the extra money to bet take Wlad...if you want the safer bet take Joshua.

 

That was just my poor attempt at a joke.

I think the division is more interesting than it's been in a long time as well, but the politics are eerily similar to the 90s-2000s due to the belts splintering out again. That I don't like.

 

Wlads not an inside fighter,hes an inside nutralizer for the most part. there is a differance. the edge is going to go to the more effective puncher ,wlad wont have the physicallities hes used to and watching Joshua i have little doubt wlad is in danger there if hes not careful.The trick for him is too clinch in certain spots but only he is going to know that ,and thats IF its even possible.Joshua is very position savvy there and turns guys at will forcing seperation.


Wlad isnt a particular mid range guy,i say this because his jab is not a mid range weapon. If you look at joshua he keeps just enough distance to still be long or short range. Wlad best combination and knockout set up is the one two jab straight right from a distance,in contrast Joshua finishes guys off with flurries on the inside and a big thudding uppercut...watch the Dillian whyte fight finish. Even Wlads left hook isnt short range bc he hooks off the jab and he still usually is tall throwing it.His lunging hook (Pulev) is shorter but he has to lung in and drops his hand before throwing it,i beileve this is how fury knew to avoid it. Another similar guy in the clinch he crushed was 6'7 coirnish ,he was hit with viscious inside shots while trying to hold Joshua.

Controlling range will be in Wlads favor because of experiance. The problem is when you throw the style in the equation. If Joshuas style which is pressure gets the upper hand Wlad cannot control or dictate the range. Experience is thrown out the window. I think a mix has to happen for Wlad to win..one is If joshua is too patient and gives wlad a chance to establish joshuas movements ,and Two is if Joshua plays the outside jab game for a few rounds. in the end it depends if you think Wlad can handle Joshua on the inside,im going to say no,which could be wrong,but i see a very dangerous still improving guy against a know what to expect Klitchko.

 

It all depends on how much Vlad has gone down hill and how much Joshua has improved. In camp Vlad totally outclassed Joshua, no contest and that will be in the back of Joshua's mind. Joshua is stiff, tight, Vlad is relaxed. Vlad has superior foot work and balance. Fans forget that Vlad is an extremely hard puncher, great defense, stamina, he also has a fantastic left hook, left jab, hook off the jab, right hand, right hook, uppercut whenever he uses it. Vlad can be quick also. He has always stayed in shape......................Vitali said that if Vlad is focused he will beat Joshua easily. Foreman warned Joshua about Vlad's experience and Lewis picks Vlad to win, plus Wilder and many more. Vitali said that age will not be a factor. I know why Vlad lost to Fury and I also know that he would have knocked Fury out in the rematch, Fury knew that...............Vlad was looking fantastic, Fury pulled out of the rematch two times............they are both supposed to be 6'6' inches tall, but if you look carefully, Vlad is clearly the taller of the two................if Vlad is 50% of his old self, he will win by knockout!!!!!!! Joshua can't just walk in and throw bombs, he has to be careful of a counter-punch, all it will take is one solid punch from Vlad to knock Joshua out, Joshua is just too tight...........All of Joshua's opponents have been bums, no ability to fight back, no defense, not experience, nothing.................Vlad has a chance to easily knock Wilder out or Parker, but he picked Joshua. Ever wonder why? Vlad knows something, he will get two titles, and he can knock Wilder out for another, and also Parker................he will have them all, so fight the best one first, he knows both Joshua and Wilder from using them as sparring partners in camp, he knows what to do and what to expect. I can't say 100% that Vlad will win, but if I were betting on the fight I would bet on Vlad. He is better than Fans think. He is not just a boxer, defensive fighter, he can be an awesome aggressive fighter whenever he wants.....................I suspect we will see a surprise................do not judge Vlad on the Fury fight, he has a personal problem, was not focused, that's why Vitali said he will win easily if he is focused...........

 

Here is an inkling I've always had about Klitschko - I don't actually feel he's ever been all that good. For the past decade he's been someone in the right place at the right time.

The best guys he's fought have been considerably smaller. It would be like Floyd Mayweather best opponent being Roman Gonzalez by comparison. And the guys who where the same size as him was rubbish, using the same comparison it would be Floyd fighting current Mike Alvarado.

He didn't face a live big guy until Tyson Fury and we saw what happened there. Now he's facing another good one and I feel Klitschko will be completely destroyed.

People will put it down to him being shot, but much like Fury, I think they would beat any version of Klitschko. I hope Klitschko proves this long standing theory I have had about him wrong but I doubt it.

Also don't doubt the rumors round the camp fire amongst Heavyweights that Klitschko looks terrible and is getting his butt handed to him by Helenius aren't true. These things get around, and if Eddie Hearn and his team wasn't aware of this they wouldn't be so eager to get the fight especially given they are doing half a million buys for dog shite like Molina. I feel the sad thing is, Klitschko knows his time is up too, and he's coming for a final bug payday.

 

Its going to be a very close fight. I feel that either AJ or WLAD could win, it just depends on if WLAD can return to near the level he was at under Manny Steward and how intelligent AJ is in the ring. I just feel that AJ needs to constantly use different punch combos and use his fast hands as well as youth to his advantage. Ive dont know if AJ has the patience to wait for a opening if he has to or if he will just try and go straight for the KO which could play into WLAD'S hand. For WLAD he needs to estabalish his jab and not be scared to go on the offensive, i just dont know how good AJ's defence really is, WLAD will need to control the range to stop AJ from working on the inside. WLAD hasnt got the same speed but his experience makes up for it. Im a AJ fan but im cant pick a winner atm. If WLAD or AJ get into their rythmn i think that person will win. If both turn up then i think WLAD by points or a early AJ knockout.

 

I personally am leaning towards Joshua by KO.

Wlad did very little against Fury and the inactivity only works in Joshua's favour. I see Wlad going in with the best intention to win but being shocked and disheartened by Joshua's power leading him to go into his shell and put on a Fury-esc performance after the early rounds. I see Joshua catching him big and stopping him before the bell sounds for the end of 6.

 

Great video rumski!! That's going to be a great event, hopefully the fight can live upto the billing.

 

That's a good piece of analysis, I might not necessarily agree with all the little details but I certainly agree with your final assessment: 65/35% Joshua.

 

Want to resume predictions and analyze just how much their preperations and tactics had an effect when they finally collided in the ring...

All of the "do this and do that" how did it go and what fancy padwork actually worked come fight time?

 

I picked Wlad by Tko round 10. Obviously it didn't happen. I predicted that Joshua would be too stiff and Wlad was still just fluid enough at 41 to move and box behind the Jab until Joshua tired and folded. I was wrong. But not too far off. Close competitive fight. Wlad can't let the right hand go anymore, I saw it live at the Jennings fight and then again vs Fury who I wasn't impressed with as I was 5 rows back at his Cunningham bout. But I figured those guys used movement and Joshua wouldn't so I thought I would see the right hand start to fly again But outside the 6th round he just can't throw it like he used to, 4 years ago this fight is a different story.
I was impressed with Joshua's heart and grit but he still can work on lot of aspects to his game. His stamina returned to him late which is a plus I thought with those muscles after the 5th he was done. I have a feeling Wlad thought so too