Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder pending game starts

LONDON – Under the 50 degrees, it was still raining and nearly 80,000 supporters of Anthony Joshua gathered Saturday in the Wembley Stadium, warmed by overcoats, cheap beer and a blind passion for the favorite British son.

Never been to a Joshua fight?

Think of a football match, but instead of attracting the attention of fans on a series of players on the field, screams divide in one direction.

Joshua scared the British on Saturday after surviving a broken buckle and nose in the first round and stopping Alexander Povetkin in the seventh round of his heavyweight title defense. For weeks, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has sworn that Povetkin would be one of Joshua's toughest tests, pleading with reporters to ignore the story of Povetkin (39) and PED on his record came against Wladimir Klitschko in his strongest.

And Hearn was right. Povetkin came out swinging early, opening powerful hooks and crushing heads that put Joshua on the defensive. Against Klitschko – to whom Joshua retired just 17 months ago -, Joshua was forced to get off the bridge and stop a legend. Against Povetkin, the challenge was almost as daunting: unlocking an unpredictable opponent before dashboards escaped him.

In the seventh, Joshua did. A right hand beating halfway through the round pulled back Povetkin, a left hook made him stunned a few moments later, and a right handed man kicked him on the canvas. Credit Povetkin – he crawled around the corner, almost fell off the ring but was able to get up before the 10th count. But Joshua, feeling the blood, invaded Povetkin with punches, forcing the referee to step in and send a stuffed stadium into a frenzy.

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<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "In boxing, there is a tendency to drool over the potential, to be disappointed.Joshua's Saturday prize was David Price.In 2012, David Price was Joshua – or near her. He was an oversized Olympic medalist with overwhelming power. He started his career 15-0, before the companion Tony Thompson flattened him twice. He was eliminated three more times in the next four years and a previously promising career ended Saturday at Wembley, as his body was beating and his arm aching, Price dropped on his stool after the fourth lap. or-die fight against Sergey Kuzmin. "data-reactid =" 57 "> In boxing, we tend to drool over the potential, to be disappointed David Price was under the map of Joshua In 2012, David Price was Joshua – or near her. He was an oversized Olympic medalist with overwhelming power. He started his career 15-0, before the companion Tony Thompson flattened him twice. He was eliminated three more times in the next four years and a once-promising career ended Saturday in Wembley, as his body was beating and his arm was suffering, or-fighting against Sergey Kuzmin.

For many, Price is a tale of warning.

On Saturday, Joshua (22-0) proved once again that no one should question him anymore.

What is the size of a Joshua star? If Canelo Alvarez is considered the greatest boxing star in North America (he is), Joshua is probably his biggest name in the world. He is the unified heavyweight champion with fans from East China up to Indian coasts. He could fight anyone, anywhere and attract massive crowds, and by the age of 28, he's just getting started.

What size can Joshua have?

Wait until he's fighting Deontay Wilder.

Joshua and Wilder are Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin of the heavyweight division. The negotiations were tense, fueled by the kind of social media chatter that has become the hallmark of modern boxing negotiations. Joshua already has an April appointment at Wembley, but no opponent has signed to face him. Wilder will return to the ring in December against Tyson Fury in a fight that could make him a big world star.

So, there is really only one question to ask: Is Joshua ready to fight Deontay Wilder?

"You can answer that question," Joshua shrugged. "You have been put in my place. I have all the belts, I proved myself tonight … put yourself in my place. If someone said, "Do you want to fight Wilder next?", You'd probably say yes. All fans around the world would say yes and I say yes.

The story continues