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Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker are all set to face each other on 31 March 2018 in a mouth-watering clash. This fight is the road which leads to the future undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Let's have a look at five reasons which provide a hint that Anthony Joshua is going to beat Joseph Parker.
#1 The power advantage
Anthony Joshua is one of the hardest hitting heavyweight boxers, not just of present generation, but of all time. Joshua at present has 100% knockout record; he destroys his opponents quickly and brutally. All his previous opponents, including Dominic Breazeale, Dillian Whyte and Charles Martin, have expressed what it feels like when Joshua lands a punch. All 20 opponents that Joshua has knocked out till now have felt the wrath of his fists, including legendary Wladimir Klitschko, who was knocked down three times.
Joseph Parker, on the other hand, is an impressive fighter, but he definitely lacks behind in blunt force trauma strength. It's only a matter of three-four clean straight right-hand shots on Parker's chin and the fight will probably be over.
#2 The height and reach advantage
Joshua is 6'6'' tall and Parker is 6'4''; Joshua has a reach of 208 cm and Parker has a reach of 198 cm. In boxing, the fighters who have reach advantage get a valuable edge during the fight.
It will be easier for Joshua to hit Parker from a distance, whereas Parker will have to come closer to Joshua to land a punch of his own. This reach disadvantage can be neutralized by mobile footwork, but then again, it will require extra skill and effort to negate this natural advantage. Although Parker has good hand speed and better mobility as compared to Joshua, he can use that advantage to minimize the reach disadvantage.
#3 Opponent track record
Both Parker and Joshua have faced an almost equal level of opponents, but there is one man in Joshua's opponents list which makes his resume quite handsome. Joshua managed to defeat Wladimir Klitschko in his 19th fight which was fought in April 2017.
Klitschko was the best heavyweight boxer for more than a decade who reigned supreme in the boxing world. After defeating Klitschko, Joshua became the hottest heavyweight. At present, every heavyweight professional boxer wants a shot at Joshua because he is the biggest name in the professional boxing circuit.
Carlos Takam is one common boxer who has fought both Parker and Joshua. Joshua's win against Takam was more convincing compared to Parker's win as Takam was TKO'd by Joshua.
The win against Klitschko and the way Joshua has defeated his opponents will give him a lot of confidence. Parker, on the other hand, was not impressive in his last fight against Hughie Fury, which will add to his confidence deficit.
#4 Home crowd advantage
The Joshua vs Parker fight, which is scheduled on 31 March 2018, will take place in Cardiff. Joshua is a very popular athlete in the UK and his countrymen adore him. The stadium will be filled with a pro-Joshua crowd who will definitely boo Parker during the fight. This often takes a toll on the concentration of boxers and it will be interesting to see how Parker deals with a hostile crowd.
Parker needs to maintain his concentration to turn the tables against Joshua. The British crowd will be one more opponent for Parker to face on 31 March.
#5 Much better amateur career
Joshua is a gold medalist of the 2012 London Olympics super heavyweight category. Parker, on the other hand, was unable to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Joshua's gold medal in Olympics explains that he is an elite boxer. Amateur boxing and professional boxing are different in a lot of aspects, but still, the fundamentals remain the same.
As far as 31 March is concerned, whosoever performs better on that day will emerge victoriously. Still, if we take into account these five aspects, Joshua definitely seems to be heading for a victory.
