BETFINAL’S LOOK AT THE WEEKEND – Saturday 31st March.

The weekend is fast approaching and our weekly Betfinal look at the weekend is back! This week there’s only one man that everybody is talking about as Saturday approaches. AJ, or Anthony Joshua is back on our screens this weekend. Can he become the undisputed champion of the world? In the words of AJ: “bet on me!”.

Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker – Saturday 31st March – Cardiff, Wales.

This Saturday, on a rainy Welsh night, millions of viewers will tune in to see history in the making.

Billed as the division’s biggest fight of the modern era, Anthony Joshua will don his infamous white gloves and shorts combo (Muhammed Ali-style) as he shows his fans what he’s truly made of. The prize-fighting British champion is back in action this Saturday night for a world unification fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. For boxing it will be a night to remember.

As impeccable on paper as he is in the ring, AJ has a perfect knockout ratio: 20 fights, 20 knockouts. Do you really blame us for loving him? A hero with humble beginnings, the champ turned a life of petty crime into one of iconic success. Here’s how the two compare.

 

 

This weekend’s confrontation against Kiwi heavyweight, Joseph Parker, could take his career to the next level. Joshua has set his sights on becoming the next undisputed heavyweight champion of the world – a title most boxers can only dream of.

AJ needs to go on to win boxing’s first ever four-belt world heavyweight title later this year. Joshua already possesses two of the four main slices of the world heavyweight titles: the IBF and WBA belt. Can he become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000? Is Joshua one win away from immortality?

A fighter with a modest personality, he turned down £50,000 and the chance to turn professional in 2010 because he claimed he was driven by medals not money. That is exactly what makes AJ so special. It’s not greed but his passion for sport that drives him forward (a lot like us). Joshua’s story has been hailed an inspiration for the younger generations. He started off selling cheap knock-off accessories at Wembley market and look at him now! On the road to becoming the biggest name in boxing history.

From Olympic gold in 2012 to a potential 21 undefeated matches, boxing’s biggest star is also currently the most marketable figure and biggest crowd-puller. 80,000 spectators will be cheering his name in Wales. And if that’s not enough, TV earnings are surpassing £20 million a fight!

The power of his punches is only surpassed by his confidence, stating in the press conference: “I’d bet money on me knocking out Joseph Parker”. He also declared that it would take a superhuman to stop him.

Things are getting heated and feathers are being ruffled. The contenders have even resorted to pointing out each other’s fighting flaws. However, nastiness won’t result in anything. As AJ put it himself: “It’s not the man who shouts the loudest, but the man with the most hunger, that will emerge from the battle victorious.”

So, will we see AJ wet his ravenous appetite with a triumph this weekend and go on to become undisputed? Or could he turn out to be another disillusioned victim of the cruellest sport?