The biggest heavyweight clash in boxing of 2017 between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua is set to get underway in front of a record-breaking crowd at London's Wembley Stadium.
Below is Fightful's preview of Klitschko vs. Joshua for the IBF and vacant WBA world heavyweight championship
What is at stake:
Klitschko has not fought since the end of 2015 when his reign as the unified world heavyweight champion came to an end at the hands of Tyson Fury. Fury's personal troubles not only prevented a Klitschko vs. Fury rematch from becoming a reality, but all the heavyweight titles that Fury owned were vacated and ripe for the picking.
Joshua currently holds the IBF title, which were owned by Fury and Klitschko and the fight will also be for the vacant WBA "super" heavyweight title (another belt Klitschko held before his last fight). Joshua is significantly younger (27 years old) than Klitschko (41 years old) and is a far more active fighter than Klitschko, fighting four times in the past 17 months.
Both men will fight in front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium (90,000 attendees expected to show up) in what is the largest crowd for a boxing match in England's history. The winner of this fight would not only be the unified heavyweight champion, but also likely be considered the top heavyweight in the world.
Where to watch:
While the bout will be carried out in England, fans in North America will get not one, but two chances to watch the fight. In an extremely rare case of cooperation between two rival media entities, HBO and Showtime will each broadcast the fight due to Klitschko being contracted to HBO and Joshua to Showtime. Showtime will get to air the fight live at 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT and HBO will air the fight on a same-day tape delay at 11 p.m. ET.
Tale of the Tape:
Wladimir Klitschko:
Record: 64-4 (53 KO)
Height: 6'6"
Reach: 81 inches
Weight (From the weigh-ins): 240.6 pounds
Anthony Joshua:
Record: 18-0 (18 KO)
Height: 6'6"
Reach: 82 inches
Weight (From the weigh-ins): 250.1 pounds
Betting odds (from Bodava):
Anthony Joshua: -275 (Favorite)
Wladimir Klitschko: +200 (Underdog)
Anthony Joshua win by KO, TKO or DQ: -160
Anthony Joshua by Decision or Technical Decision: +500
Wladimir Klitschko win by KO, TKO or DQ: +325
Wladimir Klitschko win by Decision or Technical Decision: +550
Draw or Technical Draw: +2800
Fightful will have live coverage of the Showtime live broadcast as well as a post-fight podcast immediately after the Showtime telecast ends with Carlos Toro and Steven Muehlhausen.