Tag Archives: Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker Odds and Prediction

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The first step to unifying boxing’s heavyweight titles takes place on March 31st, 2018 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Unified IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua faces WBO title holder Joseph Parker in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.

Heavyweight Title Unification

Joshua is the universally recognized heavyweight champion of the world after beating the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in an epic war last year.

Since winning the IBF heavyweight belt against American Charles Martin in 2016, Joshua has fought four times. Two of those were IBF title defenses against Dominic Breazeale and Carlos Molina. The third one was his unification bout with Klitschko where he annexed the WBA and IBO belts.

Most recently, Joshua knocked out a stubborn Carlos Takam in in 10 rounds last October to keep his belts and his perfect record of  20-0 with 20 knockouts.

At about the same time Joshua won the IBF belt, Joseph Parker captured the WBO heavyweight title with a majority decision win over American Andy Ruiz.

Since then, Parker has made two successful defenses of his belt. Parker beat Razvan Cojanu in an unimpressive unanimous decision victory in May 2017. The Kiwi then beat Hughie Fury via majority decision last September to set-up a date with Joshua.

More than the belts, a rich unification bout with WBC champion Deontay Wilder awaits the winner of this bout. Wilder is coming off a sensational knockout win over Cuban slugger Luis Ortiz last month. The Bronze Bomber is expected to fly to Wales not just to witness this contest but to challenge the winner after the bout.

Best Heavyweight In The Planet

Joshua is the heavy favorite here (-900 at Sportsbetting.ag), while Parker came back as the underdog at +600.

The British is massive at 6-6 with a reach of 82 inches. He is considered as the best heavyweight in the planet today. Joshua isn’t just a powerful puncher, he is also a complete fighter. AJ has the speed, quickness, footwork, hand speed and IQ that not every heavyweight possesses.

Other than the knockdown he suffered against Klitschko, Joshua has shown very little weaknesses so far. Parker meanwhile is a solid boxer himself. He has scored a knockout in 9 of his last 13 fights so there isn’t any question about his punching power. But Parker isn’t too hard to counter and that is considered as his main weakness. Given AJ’s skills, it may not be hard to find the target against Joseph Parker.

But while he’s easier to hit, Parker has proven that he has a granite chin. He’s been  into brawls with Andy Ruiz and Carlos Takam and in both instances, his chin held up. There is a difference though in both skill and power between Anthony Joshua and those two fighters so it will be interesting to see how good Parker really is.

Because he hasn’t faced well known opponents, it’s hard to gauge how good or not Joseph Parker really is. But even if we consider all things equal, Parker still gives up a lot to Joshua in terms of size. Being bigger than his foes has always been Joshua’s main edge over his opponents. This one should be no different.

Joshua is going to break Parker down and wear him out in the middle rounds. Even if Parker’s chin holds, it’s going to be an easy night for AJ. But chances are, Joshua is going to keep his perfect record.

Book another knockout win for Anthony Joshua. We’re picking Joshua to win by knockout. Bring in Deontay Wilder next.

Anthony Joshua vs. Carlos Takam Preview and Prediction

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With Kubrat Pulev out, world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua gets a new opponent for his October 28th, 2017 bout at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

AJ was expected to make a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev but the Bulgarian pulled out of their encounter after suffering a torn muscle in his right shoulder area. Joshua will now defend his belts against the next highest fighter on the IBF’s heavyweight rankings.

Replacement Foe

That man is 3rd ranked Carlos Takam, who lost to WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in a competitive bout in 2015.  Takam has a record of 35-3-1 with 27 KOs. The Frenchman has won two in a row since losing to Parker. He will be challenging for a world title for the second time in his career.

Joshua has made three successful defenses of the IBF heavyweight title he won from Charles Martin in 2016. The 28-year old British superstar knocked out Dominic Breazeale in in seven rounds, Eric Molina in three and then sent Klitschko to retirement last April 29th in the leading 2017 Fight of the Year candidate.

Total Package

Anthony Joshua is a -6600 favorite against Takam, who is currently listed at +200. AJ is considered to be the best heavyweight in the planet and is the total package as a fighter. He has power, hand speed, footwork and boxing IQ. He’s shown few weaknesses so far, although he was dropped by Klitschko during their bout.

Takam is almost nine years older than Joshua and is much shorter than the champion. He has knockout power too and has won four of his last five bouts by stoppage. He has a come forward style but tends to lose steam after a couple of rounds. His best chance against AJ would be in the opening rounds of the bout.

Perfect Record

Given his age and his tendency to drop his hands, his stamina and durability should be a problem if this goes to the middle rounds. But don’t think he is out of shape because even before Pulev pulled out, Takam was already a standby opponent so he is ready. Problem is, Joshua looks unstoppable right now. He has a perfect record of 19-0 with 19 KOs.

Look for Anthony Joshua to send Takam packing early. It’s going to be a quick night in Wales. Nobody’s perfect but AJ will keep his clean slate. Anthony Joshua by knockout before round six.

Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev Odds and Prediction

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Anthony Joshua puts his heavyweight world titles on the line against Kubrat Pulev at Cardiff’s Principal Stadium on October 28th, 2017.

Joshua will defend his WBA and IBF belts against the Pulev, who is the IBF’s mandatory challenger. Pulev has won 25 of 26 bouts with his only loss coming at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. Since that defeat, Pulev has won five fights in a row including victories over Dereck Chisora, Samuel Peter and Kevin Johnson.

Next Big Thing

Pulev is a 6-4 fighter who utilizes his range very well. He is a smart boxer who doesn’t allow his opponents to box from the inside. He makes them fight his style and he’s good at finding holes in their defense. Although he isn’t known for his punching power, Pulev has recorded a knockout in six of his last 10 bouts.

Joshua, meanwhile, is the next big thing in the sport. He owns a perfect record of 19-0 with 19 KOs. Widely considered as the best heavyweight today, he possesses freak physical attributes. Joshua is large and masculine but he is fast, quick and agile. What makes him more dangerous is that he has natural punching power in both hands. There aren’t too many weaknesses in his game.

Massive Favorite

A.J. opened as a massive -5000 favorite at Bovada, while the Bulgarian brute came back as the +1400 underdog. Joshua should win this fight because he is the most physically gifted heavyweight in the business today. A.J.’s combination of size, speed, power and athleticism are rarely seen. We saw that on full display during his April 2017 victory over the great Wladimir Klitschko.

While many say that Joshua beat an over the hill old guy in Klitschko, it wasn’t easy. Wlad dominated the heavyweight division for over a decade and despite his advanced age, he didn’t show signs of slowing down. It was just that he faced a phenomenal athlete in Joshua and lost to him.

Too Much To Handle

Joshua’s defense isn’t very good. We saw Klitschko take advantage of that. Pulev fights a little like Klitschko. He uses his jab to set up his power right hand. Being an accomplished amateur boxer, Pulev is also a good boxer by heavyweight standards. As such, he can give Joshua some problems but in the end we think Joshua’s too much of a physical specimen for Pulev to handle.

Pulev will try to take advantage of Joshua’s defensive lapses but he too doesn’t have elite defense as well. Look for Joshua to unload his big bombs early in this fight. Not a question of the winner really. The odds are picking Joshua by a mile and we agree. As to how this fight will end, that’s more interesting. We’re picking Anthony Joshua to win by knockout in the first half of the fight.

Boxing Rumors: Wladimir Klitschko vs. Anthony Joshua Arriving in December?

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The Wladimir Klitschko vs Anthony Joshua heavyweight title bout isn’t a done deal yet. But according to promoter Eddie Hearn, it could be finalized and announced next week:

A December Affair

Ever since the fallout of the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury rematch, the former heavyweight champion has set his eyes on current IBF heavyweight kingpin Anthony Joshua. The two have been negotiating for weeks and have even come up with a tentative December 10th date for their colossal showdown.

While both camps admit that no deal has been struck yet, the willingness of both sides to take the fight has given Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn a lot of optimism in the coming week. Said Hearn on Friday:

“We’re in a great position right now. Maybe my smile gives things away but, fingers crossed, next week you’ll have some news that will blow your mind.”

Hearn was supposed to announce Joshua’s next opponent this week but after the opportunity to fight Klitschko presented itself, they have since deferred the announcement in the hopes of landing the bigger fight.

Taking A Detour

Joshua was all but set to face Joseph Parker, his mandatory challenger in March of 2017 after a voluntary defense this November 26th. But with the recent development in the Tyson Fury saga, the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist has chosen to take the detour and examine the possibility of facing Klitschko ahead of his original plan.

Joshua’s been impressive so far in the pros with a perfect 17-0 record with 17 KOs. But although he’s won two title bouts already, he’s never faced an opponent in the caliber of Klitschko. Knocking out Charles Martin and Dominic Breazeale were exciting but the two are nowhere near the skill and experience of a Wladimir Klitschko.

Initially Joshua wanted to gain more experience before challenging Klitschko, but with Tyson Fury knocking himself out of the heavyweight title picture, the Klitschko-Joshua bout is the fight boxing fans are wanting to see happen soon.

What Are The Odds?

Should the fight happen, Joshua would be a -110 favorite against Klitschko’s +110 via oddschecker.com. AJ’s youth, size, speed and power may be too much for the much older Klitschko. Having said that though, Klitschko may have looked his age against Fury but he dominated the heavyweight division with the second longest reign in history and many still believe that he still has the goods to return to the top a third time.