Anthony Joshua has named Wladimir Klitschko as the hardest puncher he’s ever faced in his pro boxing career (so far).
The Brit is currently gearing up for a huge showdown with Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tomorrow night. The 31-year-old is set to defend the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles against the unbeaten Ukrainian with a win setting up a blockbuster meeting with either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder next year.
Joshua is easily one of the biggest draws in the recent history of British boxing and one of the primary reasons for that is because he has faced adversity inside the squared circle. From the Ruiz loss to the Klitschko war, he hasn’t had it all his own way since winning that famous Olympic gold medal back at London 2012.
Joshua gets honest
As it turns out, as revealed by Joshua himself during a recent podcast appearance, Klitschko was the man who gave him the most problems in terms of power – despite the fact Ruiz was the one he lost to.
“Who’s hit me the hardest? Yeah, Klitschko. I was gonna say Ruiz, but when he hit me that was like a concussion on the back of my head.
“When I went in with Klitschko, yeah, I just knew this could go two ways.
“I could either win or I’m gonna be laid out on my back. You know when you get carried out on a stretcher?”
“It was the 15 that came after that as well. This guy’s a beast, he’s a beast.“
While so many folks are undervaluing Usyk’s power heading into Saturday, it’s worth noting that the 34-year-old doesn’t exactly shy away from a firefight.
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