Does Joshua Have To Beat Klitschko For The Division To Flourish?

By Andreas Hale

For the past 13 years a Klitschko has dominated the heavyweight division. And that dominance has led many to blame their reign as one of the primary reasons that heavyweight boxing hasn’t been in the spotlight. Although the boisterous Tyson Fury ruined his opportunity to takeover the division when he imploded after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, there’s an opportunity to inject new blood into the division when the undefeated Anthony Joshua steps up to the plate in front of a massive crowd at Wembley Stadium in London.

For many, this is exactly what boxing needs to make the heavyweight division relevant again. A shake up of sorts where the new blood finally pries away the death grip from the Ukrainian brothers have held on the division for over a decade.

But is Joshua the guy for the job?

The short answer is yes.

Despite not being an American heavyweight, Anthony Joshua has all the traits to help springboard the division back into the spotlight. Should he find a way to stop Klitschko, he’ll run his record to a perfect 19-0 with 19 consecutive knockouts. Aside from his ability to finish, his 2012 Olympic gold medal is proof that he doesn’t need to rely solely on his ability to knock out any opponent to win a fight. Furthermore, Joshua has a highly marketable look and appeal that will surely spread beyond Great Britain and could very well bleed into the States.

But it’s truly the injection of some new blood that will help a heavyweight division that has struggled to capture the attention of an American boxing audience for quite some time. Once the division is wrangled free from the clutches of Klitschko, there is some legitimate talent around who can carry the division into the new frontier.

With Joshua, you get boyish good looks wrapped in a frighteningly devastating package. He can win over fans by flattening his opponents and wouldn’t look out of place if he were in a Rihanna video as the love interest. There is a ton of upside with the 27-year-old should he manage to beat Klitschko and it wouldn’t be difficult to market him to an American audience.

But there’s also a fascinating rivalry that could give the division a boost. And that’s one that finds Anthony Joshua facing fellow knockout artist Deontay Wilder. The WBC heavyweight champion will be ringside for Klitschko-Joshua but recently spoke during a conference call about the future of the division and where he fits in.

“The heavyweight division is getting exciting,” Wilder said. “ This is the heavyweight division, and we’re already coming out of that dark place and we finally got light.  Don’t take it back.  Don’t go backwards when we’re moving so freshly forward.  With that, I want to move it more forward.  I want to give the fans what they want, and they want a unification. They want one champion and I’m trying to make that happen.”

Wilder made it clear that he’s interested in unifying the title and facing the best the heavyweight division has to offer. Obviously, that is all lip service until the fights get made. But it’s refreshing to hear a heavyweight who is ready to face all comers. Wilder is looking to position himself as the next opponent for Joseph Parker in an effort to begin a process of unifying all of the belts with the idea that he’d then face the winner of Joshua-Klitschko.

This would be everything right for the heavyweight division should Wilder’s plan manage to come to fruition. Should Joshua beat Klitschko, a showdown with Wilder could be huge. Between Wilder’s boisterous personality and Joshua’s tame temperament, the clash of personalities would give the division something it hasn’t had in quite some time: a legitimate rivalry.

Let’s not get this confused because boxing doesn’t need this. There’s a common misconception that the sport ebbs and flows with the heavyweight division and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even right now as the naysayers continue to suggest that boxing is on the world’s longest life support machine, the sport has flourished without the presence of a competitive heavyweight division. That being said, it would certainly be nice to see the division injected with new blood. All Joshua has to do is get by the telephone pole jab of the 41-year-old Klitschko and give the division a fresh start.

That’s easier said than done. The prevailing thought is that Joshua’s physical attributes and youth should spell the end of Klitschko. But Dr. Steelhammer has always found a way to put his experience and ability to work when he finds it most necessary. Ultimately, he has his stiffest challenge in front of him and plenty of boxing fans rooting against him for the sake of seeing new blood get an opportunity. But that doesn’t mean Klitschko will just roll over for Joshua. This will certainly be an interesting matchup and could be the first cog in the machine of the next generation of great heavyweights.

Regardless of what you think about Klitschko’s reign, it is time for the keys of the division to be passed along to the new breed of giants. And that all starts with Anthony Joshua on Saturday. We’ll just have to wait and see if he can accomplish the mission.