Wladimir Klitschko: ‘Anthony Joshua’s big muscles give him confidence’

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKOย believes Anthony Joshua is taking false confidence from his muscular build into their world heavyweight title fight.

He also insists their April 29 date at Wembley has not come too early in Joshuaโ€™s career and does not want to hear claims to the contrary after the event.

Klitschko and Joshua are expected to attract a post-war British boxing record crowd of 90,000 when the latter makes the latest defence of his IBF title and and when they will also fight for the WBA championship last held by Tyson Fury.

joshua and klitschko are expected to attract a record crowd (john walton/pa)
Joshua and Klitschko are expected to attract a record crowd (John Walton/PA)

They meet amid suggestions that both Ukraineโ€™s Klitschko, at 41, is in decline and that Joshua may still be too raw to overcome the finest heavyweight champion of the past 15 years.

Many of those predicting victory for the 27-year-old Joshua do so on the basis of his exceptional punching power and athleticism, both of which they believe will be too much for his decorated challenger.

However, the flaws he has previously shown means comparisons have also been drawn with the popular, but at world level limited, Frank Bruno, and Klitschko expects that one-dimensional streak to undermine him.


โ€œAJ has a lot of energy, heโ€™s young, he wants to show it,โ€ he said. โ€œHe has these big muscles that give him confidence. He wants to demolish people right in front of him.

โ€œThose muscles give him a lot of confidence.

โ€œBut did you hear about boxing? Itโ€™s the sweet science. Otherwise Johnny [Nelson, the retired cruiserweight sat near Klitschko] would have done the same thing, he would have been pumped up like that.

โ€œEvery other person would have been like that and would have smashed people.

โ€œBoxing is the sweet science. The ice is thin. The most vicious boxers were conquered.

โ€œI have a lot respect for Anthony and what heโ€™s doing. His commitment and physical ability โ€“ he can box, he can lift weights, heโ€™s strong. He can be a crossfit world champion actually.

โ€œHe has great capability. I believe he could do it. There are a lot of boxers doing it, but crossfit is not boxing.โ€

Asked if Joshua had made a mistake in agreeing to face him in only his 19th professional fight, having not previously fought beyond seven rounds, Klitschko responded that there could be no excuses for either fighter.

(john walton/pa)
(John Walton/PA)

โ€œA mistake?โ€ he said. โ€œNo. Iโ€™m sorry, should I wait another five years?

โ€œI canโ€™t. The opportunity is now, everything has its time.

โ€œI donโ€™t want to hear, โ€˜Oh it was too early for himโ€™, or that โ€˜Klitschko is over the hillโ€™.

โ€œHe wants to become a billionaire, which is a great ambition. The question is before the tax or after the tax?

โ€œIโ€™m very critical of myself, probably the most critical man in the team.

wladimir klitschko thinks he has too much for anthony joshua (john walton/pa)
Wladimir Klitschko thinks he has too much for Anthony Joshua (John Walton/PA)

โ€œAt 41, Iโ€™m still raw. He is in a certain way. Heโ€™s improved, heโ€™s accelerated a lot, but heโ€™s still raw.

โ€œWe have seen a marked improvement and we will see on the 29th of April more improvement.

โ€œI hope both fighters get through it injury-free, so there are no other issues.โ€

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