Most all hands are on deck for Showtime as we all count down to the most anticipated heavyweight boxing tango since Lennox Lewis told Mike Tyson his era was over, in 2002.
The boss of Showtime sports Stephen Espinoza is overseeing his crew in England and I messaged him early Saturday.
What is his gut telling him might happen when Anthony Joshua sees if his apprenticeship has been sufficient to do as Lewis did, and stick a nail in the coffin of the Wladimir Klitschko era?
“I agree with something Klitschko trainer Jonathan Banks said,” Espinoza said. “He said it would be 6 minutes of a chess match, and then they throw caution to the wind. I agree – but the real question is whether AJ will have an answer to the Klitschko jab. If Wlad is able to control distance and keep AJ at the end of his jab, it will be a long night for Anthony – but if AJ is able to get inside and force the action, he'll come out on top.”
Good and objective analysis from the cabler boss, who isn't simply offering boilerplate propaganda and rah-rah-ing the Showtime-aligned athlete.
Really, Wlad has been a master at nullifying foes' strengths. No, he didn't do that against Tyson Fury in his last outing.
But Fury is more seasoned as a pro than AJ.
Espinoza is right–this could be a harder night for Joshua than most pundits are predicting.
