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THE UNPOPULAR OPINION: "ANTHONY JOSHUA COULD EASILY BECOME THE NEXT FRANK BRUNO WITH LOSS TO KLITSCHKO"

By Glasses Malone | March 27, 2017
THE UNPOPULAR OPINION:

Known for his controversial stance on several different topics, rapper Glasses Malone has never been one to bite his tongue no matter the subject. Being an avid boxing fan, Malone will be sharing some of his unpopular and sometimes controversial opinions about the sport with our readers. They may not be popular, but he guarantees to back them with facts!

GLASSES MALONE ON ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO:

Anthony Joshua could easily become the next Frank Bruno with a loss to Klitschko. I think peoples' dislike for Tyson Fury made them not realize how good and how significant Tyson Fury's win was over Wladimir Klitschko. The reach advantage that Fury enjoyed over Klitschko, the height advantage, not to mention even at 6'9" and being as big as he is, Fury is a limber and athletic guy. He's not a stiff guy like the traditional what you would call European fighter at that height and that size. He was really disciplined in that fight if you go back and look at it. He had his conditioning intact and he just Klitschkoed Klitschko. He kept him at bay with a jab and Klitschko couldn't really launch his offense without the traditional jab that he starts with. So people think that Joshua is getting the Klitschko that is over and it's like, nah, it's not even close to that.

This kind of loss, because I could see him easily being stopped, could easily turn Joshua into Frank Bruno. It could go really wrong. I think people give Joshua a lot of credit for 18 wins, and don't get me wrong, he has 18 knockouts and he is a Gold Medalist. He is a really big and strong guy physique-wise and even that draws comparisons to Frank Bruno. I remember when Frank Bruno got stopped late by James Smith. He changed after that and this could be the same situation. Wlad is a Gold Medalist who has 3 times as many knockouts as Joshua has fights. He is a doctor, so he is a conditioned guy; even his age at 40, he's not a real 40. Its like Floyd Mayweather. Floyd Mayweather is not a real 40. Those guys are disciplined and it's just a different kind of guy. Like I said, one of those late-round stoppages can really Frank Bruno this kid. If you go back and study the history of UK boxers, you will see how popular Frank Bruno was and how fast he blew up; it's a lot like Anthony Joshua. It could go really bad for him.

Klitschko jumped on this fight. It wasn't no problem making this fight. It was fast, like he knew. You don't see Wlad jump on a fight like this. And look at him, how lit up he is during the press conferences. You don't even see this side of him. This is his chance to become a 3-time world champion and one of the best 5 or 6 fighters in the heavyweight division, in a super mega-fight and, like he said, this is his signature fight. I could see a late-round stoppage. I could see the same thing that happened to Frank Bruno back in the day to where it's just a good fight kind of, but I'll be honest, I don't even think Anthony Joshua has had to even deal with world-class competition as a pro at this point. So you jump in with probably a top ten all-time great; I know we a little early on Wlad, but someone who has been a dominant champion for that long. Dude is an all-time great. You're talking about a different kind of champion at this point. You're not talking about some guy who is going to show up out of shape. He's going to come in condition and done did all of his work. If he steps on it like I think he will, because he's going to be in front of 90 to 100,000, I don't think he's going to settle for the decision. I think Joshua takes the kind of shot that makes him stop him.

You can't go from a 6 to a 10. Klitschko is a 10 and the best guy Joshua's fought and Molina might be a 6. No disrespect to Molina because he's a dope guy, but this is like… we still probably talking about the best heavyweight in boxing. And this is something else that a lot of people aren't looking at; Anthony Joshua has fought less than 50 rounds. He's fought 44 rounds to be exact as a professional. Wladimir Klitschko has fought 358 rounds and he hasn't taken damage in years. So those are just good quality rounds. Klitschko is a well-trained Emanuel Steward student. He is a monster. I see it being a late stoppage. I see Joshua taking some shots. I wish Eddie Hearn and those guys over there would have got him through the Wilder's first, the Luis Ortiz's first, and then your 24 to 25 fight, just like Fury, then you're fighting Klitschko. But you could've went through a couple more guys to build up the adversity. I tell you one thing, if Anthony Joshua wins, it won't be because Wladimir Klitschko is old. That won't be it, and if he wins, he deserves all of the credit in the world. But also when he gets stopped, don't discredit Wladimir. And these are the type of fights that can ruin a fighter permanently. Frank Bruno became a champion, but it was never the same.

The way they are treating this future Hall of Famer, who is not past his prime, but in the twilight of his career; heavyweights develop late. I just…maybe some of these guys are experts and they see it differently, but I definitely think they are misjudging it. They are approaching this like Joshua will move on to bigger and better things. I've heard Joshua say, "If I win this, this doesn't make me the best heavyweight in boxing." Fuck yeah it does. You're beating a top ten all-time great, and I get it, he's 40, but this dude got a 6 pack still and he paddle boats in the ocean for fun. We saw when Shannon Briggs was fucking with him, he was on a paddle boat paddle boating across the ocean for fun, standing up. This is a different guy. I just think they misjudged this one. You're putting Joshua in on a really big stage with probably the best opponent you can get today in boxing; an all-time great. Let's be honest, Wladimir Klitschko is probably a top ten heavyweight all-time great; no question. He has uber experience, tons of championship rounds, unbelievable opposition, every style, and I get it, Joshua is 6'6", but I just think experience is going to play a big role in this fight. You going to see Wlad take him in some real places and I don't think Wlad is going down like everybody think. Two things could happen, it could go Lennox Lewis or it can go Frank Bruno and I just tend to think that Lennox was a little different and that's why Lennox is a top five all-time great. The best heavyweight of this era; he was better than Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. I just think this kind of loss to this kind of fighter, who isn't just going to hit him with a shot and knock him out; he's going to take some rounds and some punishment in this fight. It's going to be good.

Keep in mind, Wlad at some point brought all of these younger guys into his camp and sparred with them all. That's what I would do. When I get in the studio, I'm going to get in the studio with Kendrick Lamar and Ty Dolla $ign because I want to size up all the gifted talented guys. You want to see where you place at. When he jumped at the opportunity to fight him, he knew exactly what he was getting in the ring with. Joshua just hasn't been in with world-class opposition. He's doing good at 18 fights and doing what he's supposed to be doing, but not to where your 19th fight should be against a top ten all-time great. Heavyweights develop late. Fucking Foreman was knocking people out at 46 and he didn't even have a 6 pack. I think even Deontay Wilder knows that they misjudged Wlad. Whether you like his style or not, he's a pro.



[ Follow Glasses Malone on Twitter @gmalone ]

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