‘Excited’ Joshua looking forward to Klitschko fight

Defeats Molina to retain world heavyweight title and set up fight with Ukrainian

MANCHESTER: Anthony Joshua says the size of the occasion will not get to him when he boxes Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley on April 29 in “the biggest fight in British boxing history”.

The Briton quickly disposed of American Eric Molina in a third round stoppage win on Saturday and his next title defence against Klitschko was then immediately announced from the ring.

Joshua, 27, made a second defence of IBF world heavyweight title against Molina, who he floored in the third round with a crunching right to the jaw before forcing the stoppage after the American got up from a count.



The WBA version of the world title is also expected to be on the line against Ukrainian Klitschko, who ruled for nine-and-a-half years until losing the IBF, WBA and WBO belts on points to Briton Tyson Fury a year ago.

Promoter Eddie Hearn hopes a record-breaking 90,000 fans will be inside Wembley to see the fight, and Joshua — the 2012 Olympic gold medallist — said: “That’s definitely one to get excited for. I’m going to box Klitschko for 12 rounds, make him miss and make him pay, and if the knockout comes I will be able to say I did something no one else did.”

Joshua’s sixth professional fight — all 83 seconds of it — took place at Wembley Stadium on the undercard of Carl Froch-George Groves, but most of the 80,000 had not arrived by the time he was in action early in the evening.



The rematch between Froch and Groves attracted Britain’s biggest attendance for a boxing event since the Second World War but Hearn hopes Joshua-Klitschko sets a new record.

Joshua and Klitschko will meet on Wednesday to publicise the event and Hearn hopes to extend the capacity.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2016.

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