The official A Joshua vs W Klitschko prediction thread

Wlado was allowed to clinch vs Povetkin in Russia so you never know actually what to expect even in the UK.

He is so gun shy lately even vs lesser punchers.Both fighters got shaky chins and big power at the same time so its kinda 50/50 at this point,AJ is a bit green but Wlad is past it.Who ever lands first wins i guess,cant see it goin the distance.AJ can counter punch a bit and should stay patient because he got caught silly vs Whyte in the second round.Hope its not as bad as Fury vs Wlad,barely any punches landed,mostly because Wlad was afraid to throw due to counters.

I will cheer for AJ even if im not his fan and would rather see the youngster win that one.Wlad is boring clincher nowadays.Even if AJ,Wilder and even Parker arent some world beaters at this point at least they are not trying to clinch every second of every fight like Wlad does,gonna respect that.

 

Joshua by boring UD or late stoppage if Wlad doesn't engage or by early stoppage if Wlad engages:
1. Speed to Joshua
2. Power to Joshua
3. Corner to Joshua by leagues (McCracken is far superior to Banks and Bashir across the board and at least Joshua listens to him. This is a big factor)
4. Defence to Wlad (But jab-and-grab and constant clinching will not likely prevail in this fight)
The betting houses have this pegged right at around 2/5 for Joshua.

 

This.

 

Going back and forth but the age and the lay off is too much and i can see a brutal KO for joshua.

Might change my mind tomorrow though

 

Joshua is all wrong for Wlad. He's a big, aggressive, come-forward fighter and will dictate the pace early. Wlad will be in defensive mode and probably flopping around all over the ring. He will try and grab Joshua, like he does when he's in trouble, and that will be the beginning of the end as Joshua simply overpowers the old man and batters him into submission. I expect a multiple knockdown affair, with Wlad's end coming around the 9th.

 

Wlad wins an UD......
But it will be a hard fought victory

 

Wlads jab will keep AJ at bay, the right steelhammer will stop the Offence and make AJ hesitate.....
Sure, AJ comes forward but he is stationary with his head and easy to hit

 

Do we even know if Joshua knows how to properly clinch? Like it or not clinching has always been a part of Heavyweight boxing. We have seen what happens to guys who don't know how to clinch over the years. They get knocked out.

 

AJs muscles will make AJ slow after 4-5 rounds, I agree that AJ will start fast. Wlad is experienced and knows that AJ will slow midfight and will even be easier to hit

 

He had those same muscles in his last fight and showed little signs of slowing down in the 7th. I know if it lasts that long he will prob of had to work alot harder than he did against Brezeale but i think Joshua has a 12 round engine anyway.

 

I don't like Klitschko's 41 year old, 1.5 year ring inactivity, Fury victim's chances over Joshua.
If it's very competitive, it's because Joshua is not the finished article/not as good as you thought he was.
P.S If it goes to a decision, Joshua aka Matchroom's poster boy IS DEFINITELY getting the decision. Eddie and his scorecards.

 

Think this fight will be more intense and hardfought compared to AJs last, it will definitely be more competitive....And sure he is going to be able to fight for 12 rounds if it lasts so long, but at midfight his energy level will not be the same because of his big muscles and Wlad will hit him alot easier

 

This fight is a little hard to predict for a few reasons.

For openers any time you have two skilled big men with power in the ring, ANYTHING can happen and neither man has a good chin.

Wlad is 41 and has been out of the ring for 1.5 years. A loss here would mean nothing for his legacy.

Joshua is in his prime right now, and has the confidence of a champion who has not been stopped.

I like Wlad, and here are the reasons why:

1 ) Joshua took too long to put away non-top ten guys, I sense his stamina could be a bit of an issue in the later rounds if he's pressed.

2 ) Joshua lacks movement and defense. He has no head movement, is wide open to a right hand ( if his opponets dare to throw one ) His chin was an issue in a short amateur career and I think his neck is a bit thin to take heavy blows to the head.

3 ) Wlad is the best Joshua fought by far, even this past his prime version.

4 ) Wlad seems extremely confident and extra motivated.

Prediction - Klitschko via TKO in 7 rounds.

 

Good analysis!
Agree that Klitschkos extra motivation will make a difference in this fight, will be another key factor that helps Klitschko win the fight!