British boxer Anthony Joshua (L) and Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko (R) pose with each other during the weigh-in ahead of their world heavyweight title unification bout at Wembley in London on April 28, 2017. British boxer Anthony Joshua bids to add the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt and retain his International Boxing Federation (IBF) title when he fights Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley on April 29. / AFP PHOTO / Adrian DENNIS
It’s three hours to Wembley’s Fight to Finish and here are quick reminders:
The contenders
Anthony Joshua, British, 26 will face Wladimir Klitschko, Ukranian, 41.
The Ukranian is the underdog and he’s obsessed with becoming a 3-time world champion. He calls Joshua ‘little bro’.
Klitschko hasn’t fought since 2015 and has 64wins in 68 fights.
Joshua has won all his 18 fights but hasn’t gone beyond seven rounds while Klitschko has been to 12 rounds, seven times.
Anthony Joshua travelled to Austria to train with Klitschko in 2014. They sparred for 20 rounds.
The Venue
Wembley is the spiritual home of English football but tonight it takes a different role. Tonight will be the second time in three years that a boxing fight will hold at Wembley stadium. That fight sold 77,000 tickets; tonight 90,000 seats will be filled.
The Stake
Tonight, Joshua and Klitschko will battle for the WBA (World Boxing Association) heavyweight title.
The title was vacated by Tyson Fury in Oct 2016 after he cancelled a fight with Klitschko for the second time. Fury cited depression as the reason even though he later tested positive to cocaine use.
Joshua’s IBF and the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles are also on the line.
The fight purse will be £20 million, with the fighters sharing the proceeds 50/50.
The Economics
90,000 people including Joshua’s father, Robert, will be in the crowd.
The cheapest ticket cost £4 and the most expensive tickets sold for £2000 at official prize. Note that many would have bought tickets at black market rates.
Around £40 million is expected to be made from PPV and tickets.
Where you can watch it
If you are in Africa, download the Kwese app or log on to kwese.com at 10 PM.
