By Daily Sports on December 12, 2016

Anthony Joshua's fight against Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium on 29 April could match the all-time British attendance record.

After Joshua knocked out Eric Molina on Saturday, it was announced that ex-heavyweight king Klitschko is next.

The record of 90,000 was set by light-heavyweights Len Harvey and Jock McAvoy at White City Stadium in 1939.

"It will definitely be 80,000 but we will ask for permission to go to 90,000," said promoter Eddie Hearn.

"London mayor Sadiq Khan was at the Boxing Writers' Club dinner talking about how he wants to bring major fights to London, so he better help us out."

Hearn also promoted the 2014 rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, which set a post-War attendance record of 80,000 and grossed more than £22m.

Joshua-Klitschko could also threaten the UK pay-per-view record of 1.2m buys, set by Floyd Mayweather and Ricky Hatton in 2007.

"The fight will hopefully be for the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine belts," said Hearn.

"The official press conference will take place at Wembley next Wednesday and tickets will go on sale before Christmas.

"It's two Olympic champions, two guys at different stages of their careers, the hottest prospect in heavyweight boxing against a legend. And I think Joshua will knock him out."

Joshua has 18 knockouts from as many fights since turning pro in 2013, while Klitschko turned pro in 1996 and has 64 wins (53 KOs) and four defeats.

Klitschko was ringside for Joshua's three-round demolition of Molina at Manchester Arena and predicted his Wembley date will be his "signature fight".

The Ukrainian, who turns 41 in March, was unbeaten for 11 years before Manchester's Tyson Fury upset him in Dusseldorf last November.

Two scheduled rematches fell through, before Fury relinquished the WBA and WBO titles after allegedly failing a drugs test and revealing he was struggling with mental illness.

Fury was stripped of the IBF belt last December after failing to defend it against the sanctioning body's mandatory challenger.

American Charles Martin won the vacant belt, before Joshua knocked him out in two rounds in April and Dominic Breazeale fell in seven in June.

"Klitschko is hoping to get me before I'm ready but I think age will be a big factor," said the 27-year-old Joshua.

"When I turned pro, I didn't think he'd still be around in 2017. But what he's achieved is phenomenal, he's still a sharp operator and believes he can win.

"I'm not going out with the mentality that I'm going to knock him out, I'm going to plan on boxing over 12 rounds.

"I haven't fought anyone like him, but he will present opportunities because he'll be boxing in front of me. I need to make him miss and make him pay." (bbc.co.uk)

•Photo shows  Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko

Source Daily Sports

Posted December 12, 2016

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