Hearn Admits Concern if Joshua-Klitschko Enters The Late Rounds

By Edward Chaykovsky

Eddie Hearn, promoter of IBF heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs), admits that he's concerned with the possibility of his boxer's upcoming bout extending into the championship rounds.

Joshua will by far face his best opponent to date, when he defends his belt against former division ruler Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight takes place on April 29th before a crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley, and the vacant WBA, IBO world titles will also be at stake.

Klitschko, 41 years old, has been out of the ring since losing a stunning twelve round decision to Tyson Fury in November of 2015. It was his first defeat in over a decade.

The former champion is very motivated, as he's the underdog for the first time in a very long time, and many believe that he might be at the end of the road.

Joshua has never fought beyond the seventh round. Most of his opponents were knocked out in rapid fashion. Even Hearn can't predict what will happen if the contest enters the second half.

"AJ's very fit, very smart and very strong, of course, but when you are boxing in front of 90,000 people and you have got a wily old 6ft 7in Ukrainian leaning on you, using every trick in the book to sap you of your strength and drain you of your energy, how will AJ cope with that? It's a worry, especially if the fight gets into the later rounds - ten, eleven, twelve," Hearn told GQ Magazine. 

"You have to remember Klitschko is a very tricky customer. He is obsessed with winning back the titles he lost to Tyson Fury in 2015 and that makes him very dangerous. If Anthony Joshua is the fighter everyone has built him up to be - including myself - then he will win. If he's not, then he has no chance in this fight. Because Klitschko will tie him up, frustrate him, drain him of his confidence and knock him out."

Like Joshua, Klitschko is also a big puncher. He's knocked out 53 of his 68 opponents.

Joshua was rocked pretty bad in his domestic grudge match with Dillian Whyte back in December of 2015. He was able to recover and eventually stopped Whyte in the seventh.

"Look, he's been hurt once in a fight, against Dillian, from a left hook that caught him flush and would have uprooted a tree," Hearn says. "It was thrown in anger and fear by a fighter who was struggling and you have to remember, in the heavyweight division anyone can knock out anyone. If you ask me, has AJ got a weak chin? My answer is no. I know he hasn't. Does he have a great chin? I don't know. We'll find out."