Hearn: Joshua-Klitschko Will Be Bigger Than Froch-Groves II

By Elliot Foster

Anthony Joshua didn’t just have a routine post-fight drug test to deal with after his latest win.

The IBF heavyweight world champion retained his crown in devastating fashion at Manchester Arena on Saturday (December 10), exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Joshua, now 18-0 (18 KOs) took out Eric Molina, the Inter-Continental champion and number eight-ranked challenger, inside three rounds.

And when he returned to his dressing room, after being mobbed by the waiting fans at ringside, the 27-year-old had slightly more pressing matters to deal with than his routine urine test.

He had to sign the contract to confirm his next fight –– a showdown for the vacant WBA Super title with Wladimir Klitschko, the former Ukrainian kingpin who was watching the champion’s second defence, on April 29 at Wembley Stadium, which Sky Sports Box Office will provide exclusive live UK coverage of, with RTL airing the action in Germany.

Joshua will defend his IBF crown in the fight against Klitschko, which will be formally announced at a press conference on Wednesday in London, but Hearn stated that there are still some formalities to be done before that can become official.

“We haven’t announced the IBF yet,” Hearn told press at the post-fight press conference, which came at around 1:45am on Sunday, given that the timings were off the whole night and Joshua didn’t enter the ring until midnight, “because we’ve got to write to them officially to ask for them to sanction for a unification.

“I don’t expect it to be a problem.”

The IBO title, vacated by Tyson Fury when he took a hiatus due to mental health issues, will be on the line and Hearn mentioned that the Ring Magazine belt could also be up for grabs.

The American broadcaster has yet to be worked out, according to the Matchroom chief.

Joshua has a deal with Showtime and Klitschko has historically fought on HBO.

Further details will be revealed in due course.

Hearn said that the aim was to go on sale with the tickets for the blockbuster event, which he is looking to get 90,000 in for, before Christmas.

“We’ll go on sale [before Christmas] for a certain amount,” Hearn said. “I think we have permission for about eighty [thousand] and then we’ve got to speak to Mr [Sadiq] Khan, the Mayor [of London] and get permission to expand the capacity.

“This fight will be bigger than Froch-Groves II, but they’re both different. Froch vs. Groves had the rematch factor, but I just think this is a unique fight. It’s a prospect, one of the hottest properties in world boxing, against a legend in Klitschko.

“Mr Khan was at the Boxing Writers’ dinner telling us all how much he wants to bring big fights to London, so he’d better help us out with this one.”