On April 29, the iconic Wembley Stadium in London is set to play host to one of heavyweight boxing’s most anticipated contests in recent years. Undefeated IBF World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua will put his title on the line in a unification bout with Wladimir Klitschko, with the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO belts also being on the line. Hometown fighter Joshua comes into the bout at 18-0 with 18 knockouts in his relatively young career, while his experienced Ukrainian opponent is 64-4 in his 21-year career.
As someone who has at times been accused of taking on “easy fights” at the start of his career, Joshua will face his toughest test to date in Wladimir Klitschko. While the 41-year-old is arguably past his best, leading to the Londoner being 2/5 favourite to triumph in the contest, Klitschko remained dominant over the heavyweight division for over a decade between 2004 and 2015. Klitschko will be keen to bounce back from his first defeat in 22 outings at the hands of Tyson Fury back in November 2015, and will fancy he chances against the relatively inexperienced champion who picked up the IBF strap with a second-round knockout of Charles Martin in April 2016.
As many boxers are aware, half the battle is won before they even step foot inside the ropes. Mental and physical preparation in the form of an intense and rigorous training camp prove essential to their chances of success; on many occasions, boxers have come up short on the big stage having taken training for granted – look at Prince Naseem Hamed’s fight with Marco Antonio Barrera in April 2001 as a prime example. With their showdown now only several weeks ago, neither Joshua or Klitschko are taking each other lightly, as they are stepping up their preparations in a big way. But who is coming into the bout as the better prepared fighter?
Anthony Joshua
Despite being accused by his opponent as being “obsessed with big muscles”, Joshua’s well-rounded training camps have been crucial to his success to date. According to JOE, much of Joshua’s work in the gym focuses on bodyweight resistance training rather than the single-rep max lifts associated with bodybuilders. As a fighter, Joshua relies on his speed, power and explosiveness, and his workouts are tailored accordingly, with squats, barbell thrusters and trap bar deadlifts proving particular beneficial. Joshua typically takes part in three gym sessions per day, which focus on cardio, strength and conditioning, and of course, sparring.
Equally as crucial to a successful training camp is a boxer’s ability to remain focused during downtime. The 27-year-old told FHM that he reads, plays chess and enjoys video games in between sessions. Similarly, maintaining a healthy diet is always an important part of fighting preparation. Joshua employs the services of GB Boxing performance nutritionist Mark Ellison to help him stay in match-ready shape. As part of a study carried out by Betway Insider, Ellison revealed that during intense training days, Joshua consumes upwards of 4,500 calories per day – twice that of an average man. In case you were wondering, that’s equivalent to 22 slices of Domino’s Pepperoni Passion pizza, or 46 chicken wings from Nando's.
Wladimir Klitschko
In the opposing corner, Wladimir Klitschko has also stepped up his preparation in the build-up to the contest. Back in February, fellow former heavyweight champion David Haye reportedly claimed he had been told Klitschko looked “terrible” in training, but all the recent evidence would suggest this was little more than a mind game from one of the Ukrainian’s former foes. According to Sky Sports’ Johnny Nelson, Klitschko has been training defensively, working on his upper body movements and slips, while “paying attention to every detail”. With 50 more fights than Joshua, Klitschko undoubtedly has experience on his side, telling the press recently that facing him would be like “taking on Mount Everest” for Joshua.
Not only that, but the stoic Ukrainian, who holds a doctorate in sports science, has long been renowned for possessing one of the best fighting brains in the business, rarely letting the emotion of an occasion get the better of him. Klitschko’s exceptional mental preparation aside, he’s also not taking his strength and conditioning training lightly. While the 41-year-old may have already peaked physically, he is still known to possess exceptional stamina for an athlete of his age. In an interview with the LA Times, Klitschko claimed to do very little weightlifting, instead working on cardio and other activities that emulate the movement of boxing, such as swimming and sparring.
When the bell to signal the first round is sounded on April 29, we will most likely get the definitive answer on who has prepared the best for the highly anticipated heavyweight bout. Will the experience of Klitschko pay off against a relatively young Joshua? Or will the Londoner’s exceptional power and explosiveness ultimately prove too much for the ageing Ukrainian? Time will soon tell.
