Monday 12 December 2016 06:17, UK
Is it too soon for Anthony Joshua to undertake the most difficult test of his career against Wladimir Klitschko? There are risks to consider…
What can Joshua gain?
Championship belts define the hierarchy of the modern day, but a fighter's legacy is decided by who they beat. We don't know if Joshua is ready for the mighty Klitschko, but will he ever have a better chance to add a legend to his list of victims?
In a generation's time when Joshua has hung up his gloves and reflects on his achievements, he will be asked about his most momentous occasions - the nights that transcended sport into public consciousness, as only boxing can do. There should be plenty of these nights, but Klitschko is the first.
The sole criticism aimed at Joshua, the pristinely-shaped racehorse of a puncher, regards the perceived quality of his opponents. By taking the Klitschko fight, such an accusation will be emphatically swatted away like 18 previous opponents.
Of course, Tyson Fury will always hold the mantle as the champion that ended Klitschko's 10-year vice-like grip of the heavyweight division. It took Fury 12 fleet-of-foot rounds, plus a nervous wait as the judges compiled their scores - but that milestone result will soon be contextualised if Joshua can improve upon it with a knockout.
Footage of Klitschko's three previous stoppage defeats depict him as a totally different entity to the heavyweight champion that this era remembers. The most recent was 12 years ago and almost unrecognisable at this point, but it exists. Klitschko's guard is notoriously difficult to penetrate, but Joshua will hope that it disguises a shop-worn chin.
The addition of further world title belts will add further shine to the 27-year-old's IBF-adorned waistline. In turn, that deserves to skyrocket him up the rankings of every governing body - after all, which relevant heavyweight contender will have beaten a more notable opponent than Klitschko?
What risks is Joshua taking?
Muhammad Ali, it is widely accepted, should have quit boxing long before a lacklustre loss to Trevor Berbick in what became his final bout but there is no suggestion that Klitschko is shot. He is aged 40, as Ali was when he lost to Berbick, but the damage suffered by each generation's champion cannot be compared. Klitschko, simply put, remains elite in the heavyweight landscape despite his advancing years.
Put yourself in Klitschko's shoes - with Fury, he was previously opposing someone whose awkwardness he has already failed to solve once. The veteran has been eating muscular punchers like Joshua for breakfast for the past decade. Ask Haye…
Nobody has more tricks than Klitschko to nullify and tire a knockout artist. If you built a machine to end Joshua's unbeaten run, it would look much like Klitschko. He has a lifetime's experience of the deep waters of boxing's championship rounds, while Joshua has feasted on victims without ever going past the seventh. Whether the younger man can keep pace over the distance while dancing to Klitschko's tune is a conundrum he has never been asked to solve before.
Joshua is rolling the dice with his perfect career on the line. We know he can punch, we know he can box and we know he can fight - the IBF champion is now demonstrating the ambition that his compelling career demands.
