Anthony Joshua Vs Wladimir Klitschko: Cut the Crap…. It Was an Instant Classic!

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Anthony Joshua’s stoppage victory over Wladimir Klitschko was significant for both fighters, as well as for the sport of boxing. Let us talk about the sport of boxing first. Ninety thousand fans were treated to a fight for the ages live, making the fight a sporting event for the ages. Yes, it was a fight for the ages. I need to state this explicitly because there are some boxing fans who might challenge this statement. I would be happy to debate with them about it. However, if you do not believe this was an epic battle because you are stuck in the seventies, or you fantasize about Harry Greb, I have a better chance of getting through a brick wall.

I do realize boxing has the greatest history in all of sports; I enjoy watching old fights as much as anyone (although Greb fights have been very hard to come by). With that said, if you are so stuck in the past that you do not realize what you have right in front of you, well it can be a problem. It deprecates what fighters of today have done, and are doing. Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko should not have their great fight marginalized because of fights of the past. Period.
For those of us who live in the present (yet still love the past), Joshua Vs Klitschko was one of the greatest days in boxing history. A raucous crowd of ninety thousand fans going berserk over a fight than exceeded all expectations, with a worldwide audience watching, does not happen every day; both Showtime and HBO aired this fight. What more has to be said?

For Joshua, Klitschko, even at his advanced age, was seen as a major step up in competition. Yes, Joshua did have an impressive, perfect knockout percentage; however, most boxing observers felt his competition left a lot to be desired. He had not been tested yet. Well, the fight with Wladimir proved to be as cumbersome as the Common Core. Joshua passed this test and performed in the higher percentile.

Some boxing observers say Joshua was exposed. Well, allow me to put my old man hat on for a change. I miss the old days when boxing observer’s revered fighters who got up from crushing knock downs to stop their opponent, not ridicule them. Champions like Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes and the like, all suffered knockdowns in championship fights, only to rise to their feet and stop the guy who put them on their ass. All of these fighters’ legacies are better for being dropped. Indeed, Joshua has a long way to go to cement his legacy; however, he is entitled to the same respect the aforementioned fighters got in their time when they bounced back from certain defeat. I miss those days. Wink Wink.

As far as Joshua’s future goes, a rematch with Dr. Steelhammer is contracted. I, for one would not object to that fight. I would be curious to see how both fights approach a rematch. Also, Wladimir would not be fighting after such a long layoff, and he has a track record of performing well in rematches.

If the rematch falls through, a fight with Tyson Fury would be bananas in England, and a showdown with American Champion Deontay Wilder would be the biggest hyped heavyweight fight in years. I would say the future looks bright and Mr. Joshua is supplying a lot of the energy.
This fight did wonders for Wladimir as well. It solidifies the moniker that sometimes boxers get more respect in one defeat than in a string of victories. Wladimir certainly put an end to the belief he did not have the desire anymore, or he was washed up. You wonder how different his second championship run would have gone if he had faced a fighter the caliber of AJ, someone to push him to the brink? While Wladimir Klitschko’s reservation to the International Boxing Hall of Fame should have been secured before the Joshua classic, there should be little doubt now he is hall of fame worthy.

There should also be little doubt that Joshua Vs Klitschko should be viewed as an instant classic. The fight jumps to the top of the list for fight of the year. I think round five is baked in the cake for round of the year as well. If I am wrong, it means we have some outstanding boxing left in 2017.

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