Thursday 15 December 2016 08:57, UK
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will never betray their respectful roots, but both showed signs of bearing their teeth on Wednesday at Wembley. Sky Sports watched the subtle shots as they were fired…
The national stadium was empty, except for the gigantic frames of Joshua and Klitschko - the new Twin Towers of Wembley, who will soon engage in the most significant heavyweight contest on these shores in a generation, with the IBF heavyweight belt on the line.
Taking in the surroundings on Wednesday, five-and-a-half months before the first punch is thrown on April 29 live on Sky Sports Box Office, their interaction was refreshingly classy. While tables have been overturned and security overworked in recent weeks, Joshua and Klitschko filled their press conference with superlatives about each other's talents.
Until they rose to their feet. Joshua, adorned in sportswear and looking like a particularly challenging weight-lifting session had been interrupted, posed for a routine photo opp. Klitschko removed his suit jacket and it quickly became clear that, despite approaching his 41st birthday, he remained in pristine physical condition. There is plenty of life in the old dog yet, and Klitschko knew it was never too early to flaunt his plumage.
The peacocking of the former unified heavyweight champion was a forthright message that he represents the first of Joshua's opponents who has the tools to match the younger man's sheer physicality. Stood next to each other, Klitschko was certainly taller, and was the only man in the room who wasn't put to shame by Joshua's physique.
I think he is calculated - I took my jacket off, so he took his jacket off. If I put up my right hand, he put up his right hand.
"Now you mention it, yes he was," said Joshua, asked about Klitschko's flexing. "But I think he is calculated - I took my jacket off, so he took his jacket off. If I put up my right hand, he put up his right hand. My opinion is that he wants to get things right so he presents himself in the right way."
Presenting himself is nothing new to Klitschko, the 66-fight veteran, well accustomed to the environment in which he found himself. Seated in the space reserved for the challenger, it was a peculiar sight that he joked about himself. Yet it didn't stop the philosophical spiel that became a trademark throughout his championship reign, during which Joshua looked like a uninterested student. At that moment, it appeared like the roles of champion and challenger had swapped.
Little bro? "He's called me that since the days when we were never going to fight," Joshua said about an apparent throwaway remark from Klitschko, that may have doubled-up as a subtle reminder of seniority.
"So I let it go over my head. This is where the respect comes into it. It's fine. It could get to you, but I let it go.
"He can call me 'little bro' but, if I spank him out inside a round, it's irrelevant, isn't it?
He can call me 'little bro' but, if I spank him out inside a round, it's irrelevant, isn't it?
"If Wlad wins, he'll say to himself 'okay, I'm still the big bro'. But if he loses he'll realise the torch is changing hands, and it's a totally different era. This is the start of a new legacy of an up-and-coming champion."
Joshua, 27, can sometimes offer a fascinating insight into a mentality that sounds far beyond his years. He has long been a student of Dr. Steelhammer, since aiding Klitschko's preparation to fight Kubrat Pulev two years ago, and the mind-set is rubbing off.
"Longevity," he emphasises. "I like Cristiano Ronaldo because of how long he's been at the top level. You can't just do it once. 'How many times have you done it?' Years, I've been here for years. That's cement and you can't break that."
Joshua won Olympic gold in London, 16 years after Klitschko achieved the same. Joshua said: "I was a 2016 hopeful, not 2012, that's the amateur development I should have taken. I should have been fighting in Brazil for a gold medal but I'm fighting Klitschko for the belt.
I'd probably beat him in the amateurs. So I'll beat him as a pro. It's the same course of time. I've been through all the stages of fighting.
"I came through that development as an amateur and became a dominant force. Imagine Klitschko as an amateur for Ukraine - if I came up against him in 2016, I'd probably beat him in the amateurs. So I'll beat him as a pro. It's the same course of time. I've been through all the stages of fighting."
The tone of the day was respect, and Wembley Stadium will be a fitting location for two superhuman-looking athletes owning Olympic and world titles, but the first verbal jabs have already been thrown.
Watch Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 29.
