Foreman: If Joshua Beats Klitschko, He'll Be Champion For 10 Years

By Edward Chaykovsky

In the last few weeks, Hall of Famer George Foreman has really been talking up IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17KOs).

Foreman, a two-time world champion and an Olympic gold medal winner like Joshua, faced some of the greatest heavyweights who ever laced up a pair of gloves and he sees a lot of potential in the British superstar.

Joshua is slated to return with a voluntary defense on December 10th in Manchester, likely against Eric Molina. There were serious negotiations to face Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53KOs), but fight fell out after Klitschko suffered a minor calf injury.

Joshua is now targeting the Klitschko showdown for next spring. Both boxers are waiting for the World Boxing Association to make a ruling on whether or not their contest can be sanctioned for the vacant WBA world title that was recently dropped by Tyson Fury.

If the fight with Klitschko goes through, and Joshua pulls off the win, Foreman predicts his reign will last at least a decade. Ironically, Klitschko suffered his first defeat in over a decade last November when he lost a twelve round decision to Fury.

“We’re both Olympic champions so we have that in common — and that kid can really fight, too. When Joshua fights Wladimir Klitschko it will be the biggest night in boxing for a decade. The world will wait for that. There is no match in boxing that would have that much importance,” Foreman told The Manchester Evening News.

“I’ve seen Joshua perform and he is the real deal. There is no hype about that. This guy can flat out fight. He can punch and he has a good stance. He’s got the package. He is very marketable, of course. He looks great. Then again, you can have all the looks and style in the world and if you can’t fight you are not going far. But Joshua can fight. That outshines anything else about him. Sure, he still hasn’t achieved anything like what Lennox Lewis did for Britain.

“And in America, if you ask who is a good British heavyweight, they will say Lennox. To my mind, he was one of the best five heavyweights of all time. But if Joshua beats Klitschko, he’ll really make his name around the world and be champion for the next 10 years.”