Wladimir Klitschko really has done it all in world heavyweight boxing.
He’s been involved in the most world title fights, had the longest accumulative title reign in the division’s history and really has nothing left to prove.
Other than that he’s still the best around.
Next weekend’s fight with Anthony Joshua is one of the most highly-anticipated fights in recent boxing history, and here are several reasons why he can knock off Britain’s great boxing hope.
He's got the experience
Wladimir enters his 69th fight next weekend, with an incredible 29 of them being world title fights.
He’s got the skins on the wall, whereas Joshua, entering just his third title defence, hasn’t fought anywhere near this kind of stage before.
The pressure is off
Joshua is the man who has everything to prove in this fight.
Wladimir has enjoyed an illustrious 21-year career, won everything boxing has to offer and is regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time.
For Joshua, to beat a man of that calibre is massive for him and he’ll be determined to get the job done which brings its own pressures.
Klitschko knows his game, knows his style and has been in this sort of occasion umpteen times before.
This is a new stage for Joshua
In his 18 fights, Joshua has never fought at a venue as big as Wembley Stadium, he’s never come close to fighting someone of the pedigree of Klitschko – this is a totally new challenge for him
Everything will come as normal for Wladimir, he’s been at this level for a decade, and it’s not unprecedented for the fighter in Joshua’s position to be in awe of the moment and not fight to their fullest.
We know Klitschko can fight the distance
To date, Anthony Joshua’s longest fight was a seventh round stoppage against Dillian Whyte.
Klitschko has fought 12 rounds on eight occasions. We know he can go the distance in the big fights, endure a tactical slugfest and simply out-box his opponent.
Joshua is reliant on his punching power but Klitschko’s defence is as good as they come. Will Joshua punch himself out if he doesn’t have the stamina to go all 12 rounds?
Joshua's over-confidence
The young up and comer Joshua is convinced that he has the punching power to defeat Klitschko, known for having a strong chin.
There’s a fine line between confidence and complacency and Joshua’s entered fights before where he’s underestimated the quality of his opponent, such as the Dillian Whyte fight,
If he has a similar mindset next weekend, Klitschko will be there to take advantage.
The chance to end his career on a high
Klitschko is now 41. He’s no spring chicken.
Boxers always want to go out on top, it’s the best way to leave the sport.
He won’t want to exit the game on the back of two defeats. He’ll be as determined as ever to win back his heavyweight titles he lost and then end his career on his terms.