By Ian S Palmer
Anthony Joshua of England will be taking on fellow countryman Dillian Whyte at the sold-out 02 Arena in London this Saturday, December 12th. This is a huge British showdown although many North American fans might not be familiar with either of the undefeated London boxers. The 12-round bout is for the vacant British title as well as Joshua’s WBC International and Commonwealth titles and can be seen live in the UK on Sky Box Office. This fight is definitely for local bragging rights, but it’s also a step in the right direction towards a world title shot for the winner. Joshua won an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 Games in London, but Whyte beat him as an amateur back in 2009.
The 26-year-old Joshua has a perfect 14-0 record with all 14 of the wins coming by knockout. It’s safe to say he has better than average power with his 100 per cent knockout ratio, but critics will point out to his lack of upper-level opposition up to now. He turned pro back in 2013 and has 25 rounds under his belt since. He’s a big heavyweight by today’s standards as he stands 6-feet-6-inches tall and has a reach of 82 inches. Joshua’s most well-known opponents are Kevin Johnson, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott. He last fought in September and stopped Gary Cornish in the first round and he’s never gone past three rounds as a pro.
The 27-year-old Whyte, who was born in Jamaica, is also perfect as he’s 16-0 with 13 Kos to his name. He’s basically fought the same level of opponents as Joshua and also has a lot of power in his fists with a knockout ratio of 81 per cent. He has a two-inch height disadvantage at 6-foot-4 and has boxed just 44 rounds since turning pro in. Whyte’s biggest win was a third-round TKO over Brian Minto in his last fight in September. When he fought Joshua as an amateur in 2009 he dropped his opponent along the way, so that should give him a certain amount of confidence heading into the fight.
Joshua possesses the better boxing skills of the two while the edge in power is debatable. The Olympic champ has good mobility and upper body movement as well as a stiff jab and power. Whyte doesn’t match up to him really in any department other than power. But of course, that may be all he needs to emerge victorious from this grudge match of they get into a firefight. Joshua will try to stay away from a slugfest by boxing Whyte, using his jab and size advantage and nailing his opponent whenever he sees an opening. If he hurts him he won’t let up and it could be a short night. Whyte may decide to just go for broke when the bell rings and if he does then it could be a case of who lands the first big shot being the winner.
Prediction
Joshua has built up a perfect KO record much like Deontay Wilder did, but he had to go the distance as soon as he met an upper-class opponent in Bermane Stiverne. This fight shouldn’t go the distance since Joshua and Whyte each have dynamite in their fists, but one never knows. It has the potential to be an action-packed bout, but if we’re going to predict the winner based on skill and power then we’ll have to go with Joshua here.
