Wladimir Klitschko: record, next fight and profile →
IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been told there are two bids on the table from Nigeria to stage his rematch against Wladimir Klitschko, according to The Sun. Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, has been sifting through mega-money offers to put the fight on in Nigeria’s capital Abuja and a decision is expected early next week on where and if the clash goes ahead.
IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua says he is eager for a rematch with Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko after April's thrilling bout but will face Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev if Klitschko decides to retire. Joshua beat Klitschko after 11 rounds to extend his unbeaten streak to 19 fights, and a clause in their contracts allows the defeated fighter to ask for a rematch. But the 41-year-old is yet to make decision about his future.
Wladimir Klitschko has informed promoter Eddie Hearn that he won’t return to the United Kingdom for a rematch with Anthony Joshua. If they’re to fight again for the unbeaten British champion’s IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight titles, Klitschko wants it to take place outside the Joshua-friendly confines of the his homeland. England’s Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) stopped Ukraine’s Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs) in the 11th round of their epic encounter April 29 at a sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, where roughly 90,000 fans assembled to watch Joshua’s impressive victory.
IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) is hopeful of landing a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko and taking the fight to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Back in April, before a crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley, Joshua defeated Klitschko after climbing off the canvas to stop the Ukrainian in the 11th round in what has been called the most exciting heavyweight fight in recent years.
Maybe Anthony Joshua actually is coming to America. Becoming a massive mainstream star in the United Kingdom seemingly made it less likely that Joshua would make his debut in the United States anytime soon. But promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports News HQ in an interview Wednesday that Las Vegas has emerged as “a frontrunner” to become the site for Joshua’s immediate rematch against former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Back in 2015, heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings went twelve founds with Wladimir Klitschko in New York's Madison Square Garden. That fight displayed the early signs that Klitschko was no longer the same fighter who dominated the division for ten years. In the fall of the same year, Klitschko suffered his first career defeat in over a decade when Tyson Fury outboxed him over twelve rounds in Germany.
This past April, Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) pulled off the biggest win of his career when he stopped Wladimir Klitschko in eleven rounds to unify the IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight titles. Joshua, before a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London, dropped Klitschko in the fifth round but then saw himself get badly hurt and dropped in the sixth round. Joshua would rally later on, to drop Klitschko two more times for a TKO win in the eleventh.
According to promoter Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, former world champion Wladimir Klitschko is "50-50" on whether or not he intends to exercise an immediate rematch with IBF, IBO, WBA champion Anthony Joshua. Back in April, before a record crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley in London, Joshua recovered from a sixth round knockdown to rally down the stretch and stop Klitschko in the eleventh round to unify the three belts.
Anthony Joshua will return to training in early August in preparation for a fight in the autumn. The IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion is waiting to see if terms will be agreed with Wladimir Klitschko for a rematch that is expected to be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on October 28.
Appearing on BBC's The Graham Norton Show, Anthony Joshua reminded everyone of his incredible punching power two months after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in London. After providing some pointers to other guests on the show for their attempts at the punching machine, Joshua steps up to the mark and annihilates the bag. Almost effortlessly the impressive Brit notched up a score of 848, easily beating his competitors who were clearly putting their whole bodies into the shot.