Wladimir Klitschko knows how his fight with Anthony Joshua is going to play out.
He just doesn’t want to tell you.
Klitschko takes to the ring for the first time since his 2015 defeat to Tyson Fury when he clashes with ‘AJ’ in London on April 29, and he is enjoying the significant decrease in trash talk for his second consecutive fight against British opposition.
While the lead-up to Klitschko vs. Fury was littered with insults and psychological warfare, the upcoming meeting for the IBF, vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles is anything but as Joshua and his Ukrainian opponent have shown nothing but respect to one another in press conferences.
It is all the rage nowadays for fighters to predict the outcome of their upcoming bouts, thanks in no small part to UFC superstar Conor McGregor who has made a habit out of calling the method and round in which his mixed martial arts bouts come to an end.
But Klitschko is not one to engage in such behaviour, even though he is confident in how the fight with Joshua will go.
The 40-year-old is predicting the fight but he is doing so in Derren Brown style by sealing his prophecy in an envelope which will be marked with the warning: “Not to be opened before end of fight on April 29.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfU4_LmlDAs
The Daily Mail reports that Klitschko is keeping his cards close to his chest but wants to commit his prediction to paper so that he can prove to fight fans that he saw it coming the whole time.
“I could promise you anything I like. Promise to do whatever everybody wants to hear. But it doesn’t mean anything. Not at the moment,” Klitschko said.
“I have a clear vision of how the fight will go. But only the facts will tell on April 29. Then everyone will see the truth for themselves.
“So I am writing my prediction and sealing it an envelope to be opened after the fight.”
Klitschko is not used to the feeling of being an underdog, which is exactly what he is considered ahead of his showdown with the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist.
Joshua is, at the time of writing, 4/9 for the win while a Klitschko victory will get you odds of 7/4.
And speaking of the bout, which is just nine weeks away, ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ had this to say about the man who will be stood opposite him in Wembley.
“Anthony and I have many comparisons,” Klitschko continued. “But that is the one big difference between us. We both won Olympic gold medals and have gone on to become world heavyweight champions. We are both strong and intelligent. We both knock men out. We are both courteous and respectful.
“But where he has age on his side, I have the experience.
“Which is the greater? I can say age is only a number because I am not ready to sit on the sofa, drink beer and watch television. In fact I never will be.”
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