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+--- Thread: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! (/showthread.php?tid=182)
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - shamrock - 04-29-2017
(04-29-2017, 02:18 PM)Kiwi Wrote: Sham - you are a church man.
This leads me to see you in a new light, my friend.
Takes the edge off some of our disagreements. Good for you.
-Kiwi
Kiwi, I believe in the resurrection of Christ the King, you seem to as well. God bless
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - Infern0 - 04-29-2017
Klitschko obviosly goimg for speed and movement, at 41.... i dunno
Joshua going for the early blitzkrieg....
We shall see
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - Msreef - 04-29-2017
Anyone placed any bets on the fight? I'm not usually a betting man but put a small one down for Wlad to KO AJ at 22/1, in rounds 1-3.
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - diehard - 04-29-2017
Wladimir Klitschko loving the limelight on the eve of the defining fight of his career.
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko face-off ahead of their IBF heavyweight boxing title fight in London.
Wladimir Klitschko's eyes lit up as he looked around the massive atrium and saw hundreds of people lining the staircases and railings, craning their necks for a glimpse.
The 41-year-old future boxing Hall of Famer was about to speak on Thursday at a news conference in advance of his IBF heavyweight championship bout this weekend against British champ Anthony Joshua and it was clear he was thoroughly enjoying the moment.
"Good day, ladies and gentlemen," Klitschko said with an engaging smile.
"It's an amazing crowd here. And I would love to have a very, very, very long speech."
The audience laughed at the Ukrainian's joke, but it's possible that there was some truth hidden beneath the surface. Watching Klitschko's gleeful byplay with the fans, it is obvious he does not want his time in the spotlight to end.
Why else would Klitschko, a two-time heavyweight champion with a sterling record of 64-4 and 53 knockouts, fight an opponent as dangerous as Joshua - before a partisan sellout crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium - at this late stage of his career?
At 18-0 with all of his victories coming by knockout, Joshua, 27, is one of the most exciting young heavyweights to come along in some time. He dispatches opponents with Tyson-like ease, and he has a similarly electrifying presence. Only two of his foes have made it past the third round (each was knocked out in the seventh).
Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko is a fight many expected would never happen.
For all his promise, Joshua would be lucky to one day equal Klitschko's accomplishments. Joshua holds the IBF belt, but Klitschko defended it 18 times over nine years until he was upset by Tyson Fury in November 2015.
Most would consider it a blow to their pride to be considered the B-side in a match against a fighter with a lesser record. Not Klitschko. He accepted the assignment with gusto.
"Is it a degradation that I'm actually a challenger and underdog in this fight after 27 years in the sport?" Klitschko said. "I don't think so. I think it's great."
The crowd for the fight at Wembley is set to be the biggest boxing crowd since 1993.
In part because of the dearth of quality opposition, and in part for fighting in a style sometimes dismissed as boring, Klitschko's historic reign atop the heavyweight division was largely met with shrugs, at least in the United States. But Tom Loeffler, the managing director of K2 Promotions, which promotes Klitschko, believes that could change this weekend with a career-defining victory at a late age.
"He's got such a great legacy. Such a domination of the heavyweight division," Loeffler said. "But at the same time, with all those wins, this is the biggest event of his career."
The fight is arguably the most anticipated bout in boxing's glamour division since the 2002 showdown between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. As with that megafight, this bout has brought HBO and Showtime, the bitter premium cable rivals, together on a boxing telecast for only the third time in their history.
Executives from both outlets credited the other side for coming together on the unusual arrangement.
"I think everyone wanted to work in the service of the fans and the sport," said Peter Nelson, executive president of HBO Sports.
"This is a signal that the sport is moving in the right direction."
British boxing impresario Eddie Hearn, the group managing director of Matchroom Sport and the fight's lead promoter, admitted the talks grew heated at times.
"It's the hardest deal I've ever had to do in boxing," said Hearn, a licensed promoter since 2011. He added, "Listen, they don't like each other. Everyone knows that."
In the end, Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president of Showtime Sports, believes the sides were brought together by a sense of duty to a sport that too often has seen major deals fall apart over petty disputes.
"We wouldn't have gone to this effort, and we wouldn't have made the concessions that we made if it weren't an historic fight," Espinoza said.
Whether or not it is historic, the bout is expected to attract the largest crowd for a boxing-only event since 1993. (Two fights in Russia staged jointly with a popular motorbike show have drawn larger crowds.)
Paulie Malignaggi, a former welterweight world champion who will call the bout for Showtime on Saturday, believes the massive crowd is what compelled Klitschko to take such a risky assignment. Malignaggi can relate. At age 36, the boxing analyst continued to fight until last month before announcing his retirement after a loss. It was the attention that kept Malignaggi going.
"Your ego still wants to feel that adulation," Malignaggi said.
"Your ego still wants to be part of big moments. Your name in lights. Be cheered as you walk in."
Malignaggi's assessment seemed to be affirmed by Klitschko's jovial demeanour at Thursday's press conference. Even as his remarks drew to a close, it was clear Klitschko had no desire to exit the stage.
"Thank you very much for your attention," he said, sitting back in his chair, basking in the crowd's applause.
* Stuff's live Klitschko v Joshua coverage will begin at 8am on Sunday (NZT)
- The Washington Post
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - shamrock - 04-29-2017
Not long now and we will know who is the King of the heavies
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - Infern0 - 04-29-2017
(04-29-2017, 08:21 PM)shamrock Wrote: Not long now and we will know who is the King of the heavies
Nah sham
this fight is for the right to face the true king
Joseph Parker
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - diehard - 04-29-2017
(04-29-2017, 08:47 PM)Infern0 Wrote:(04-29-2017, 08:21 PM)shamrock Wrote: Not long now and we will know who is the King of the heavies
Nah sham
this fight is for the right to face the true king
Joseph Parker
Nah, you're coming around to my way of thinking? Nah.
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - shamrock - 04-29-2017
(04-29-2017, 08:47 PM)Infern0 Wrote:(04-29-2017, 08:21 PM)shamrock Wrote: Not long now and we will know who is the King of the heavies
Nah sham
this fight is for the right to face the true king
Joseph Parker
Lol inferno thanks for correction
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - diehard - 04-29-2017
Sham, we have a young upstart who is unproven against a shot, over the hill 41 year old who's afraid to throw a punch. Give me Parker any day. Don't know why I'm paying $35 and getting up early for this. And you're going to church to pray that they perform well. What is all this hype about? Give me Parker vs Co-java anyday.
RE: AJ vs Klit is ON!!! - shamrock - 04-29-2017
(04-29-2017, 09:06 PM)diehard Wrote: Sham, we have a young upstart who is unproven against a shot, over the hill 41 year old who's afraid to throw a punch. Give me Parker any day. Don't know why I'm paying $35 and getting up early for this. And you're going to church to pray that they perform well. What is all this hype about? Give me Parker vs Co-java anyday.
Die if I thought you were serious and not taking the piss I wouldn't be smiling