James Slater

Vitali Klitschko will be at Wembley, supporting his brother in Joshua showdown

Vitali Klitschko will be at Wembley, supporting his brother in Joshua showdown

There really could be quite a throng of heavyweight greatness, either past, present or future, at Wembley on April 29 (a week today as if any heavyweight fan needed reminding!). Wladimir Klitschko, himself a future Hall of Famer, will of course fight Anthony Joshua, the next heavyweight great in the opinion of quite a few people, and two WBC heavyweight rulers, one past one current, have confirmed their attendance.

Deontay Wilder will be there, scouting his possible next opponent, and Vitali Klitschko – for some people the superior fighting Klitschko brother – will also be in the house, assisting his younger brother. Vitali, taking a break from his political duties in Kyiv, will be close to his brother as “Dr. Steel Hammer” attempts to take both the IBF and the WBA belts next week.

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Joseph Parker arrives in New Zealand ahead of Fury defence, wonders where Hughie is

Joseph Parker arrives in New Zealand ahead of Fury defence, wonders where Hughie is

A smiling, confident and upbeat Joseph Parker arrived in New Zealand earlier today, two full weeks ahead of his WBO heavyweight title defence against Britain’s Hughie Fury. Aside from telling the media how much he is looking forward to showing his stuff in the ring on May 6, the unbeaten champion spoke of his slight concern over the fact that Fury has not yet arrived in New Zealand.

It seems a little odd to both Parker and his trainer Kevin Barry, that Fury has not arrived well ahead of fight time so as to fully recover from the inevitable jet lag the flight from the UK to New Zealand causes.

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Can Charles Martin possibly make it back to the top? Comeback begins next week Vs. Byron Polley

Can Charles Martin possibly make it back to the top? Comeback begins next week Vs. Byron Polley

It is just over a year ago that “Prince” Charles Martin, looking anything but regal, capitulated in quite disappointing fashion against Anthony Joshua. Martin was attempting to make the first retention of the IBF heavyweight belt he had won in fluke-like fashion – Vyacheslav Glazkov’s knee blowing during their January 2016 fight that contested the belt that had just been stripped from new world ruler Tyson Fury – and he failed miserably.

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Win or lose against Klitschko, Joshua may not be able to keep both IBF and WBA belts

Win or lose against Klitschko, Joshua may not be able to keep both IBF and WBA belts

If he manages to defeat Wladimir Klitschko a week tomorrow, Anthony Joshua will add the WBA belt to the IBF crown he already holds – but he might find it impossible to keep hold of both belts for long. As his promoter Eddie Hearn explained to The Star, a victorious Joshua is extremely likely to be ordered to defend the IBF belt against Kubrat Pulev, and the WBA belt against Luis Ortiz.

So, unless “a deal can be done,” Hearn says Joshua is going to lose one of the belts he will exit a rocking Wembley Stadium with if he’s victorious on April 29. More alphabet soup madness, or two good fighters getting what they have worked for and fully deserve? Take your pick, but it really does seem next to impossible for any heavyweight to become undisputed king these days.

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Tomasz Adamek to return in June, will face Solomon Haumono in Poland

Tomasz Adamek to return in June, will face Solomon Haumono in Poland

You can now add the name Tomasz Adamek to the current list of once great fighters who simply cannot say goodbye and stick to their retirement for good. Once a terrific light-heavyweight and cruiserweight – winning world titles at both weights – Adamek fell short as a heavyweight (although even here, “Goral” picked up some meaningful wins over good names).

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