LOOKING AHEAD TO tonight’s events at Wembley Stadium, you could say the USA’s former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld might have made decent boxing analyst.
Back in 2002, when addressing the tenuous evidence linking Iraq to weapons of mass destruction, Rumsfeld infamously claimed: “There are known knowns… there are known unknowns… But there are also unknown unknowns.”
The ridiculous statement could have an ever-so-slight hint of credibility when used as a pre-fight analysis of the world heavyweight championship meeting of Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko, however – and, to a lesser extent, the support bout between Katie Taylor and Germany’s Nina Meinke.
The main event appears to be something of an unpredictable affair as the younger, relatively untested but heavy-hitting Joshua is the bookies’ favourite to overcome the mechanical yet authoritative veteran Klitschko.
We know Joshua’s power is a weapon of mass destruction; we don’t know if he will be capable of utilising it against his vastly more experienced opponent.
We know Klitschko looked lethargic against Tyson Fury — which put a worse spin on his previous unimpressive display against Bryant Jennings — but we don’t know if the 41-year-old Ukrainian is completely over the hill.
We know Klitschko also has immense knockout power; we don’t know if he will be willing to engage and/or if Joshua’s chin will hold up if he does.
All of which means there are plenty of ‘knowns and unknowns’ heading into the main event, leading to the risk that the bout — like all hugely-hyped fights — could fail to live up to expectation if either man boxes conservatively.
In that sense, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sports may hope that another of their prized assets, Katie Taylor, is a more reliable punt when it comes to adding footage to her highlight reel tonight.
An undercard slot and 7pm (approx) start time on boxing’s biggest fight bill in 2017 is a fantastic shop window for Taylor and women’s pro boxing, which is experiencing something of a fledgling flourish in terms of interest.
US broadcasters are also likely to screen her bout against her fellow undefeated fighter — 23-year-old Meinke (5-0).
However, the known unknown here is exactly how Taylor will deal with a southpaw as a professional opponent for the first time.
Should the female fighters’ respective styles clash – with both fighting in a scheduled 10-rounder for the first time – it could be a more tactical affair than Taylor’s four previous whirlwind paid wins in the space of just four months.
I think the most important thing first is just to win the fight and to make the fight as easy as possible,” said a practical Taylor when quizzed on that theory.
“You see the likes of Klitschko and he has no problems being boring and winning fights, so I think sometimes you just have to go about it that way as well.
“Hopefully it can be an exciting as well, but if it’s a case where it’s going to be a technical affair then I have no problem doing that as well because at the end of the day it’s just important to get the win,” added the five-time amateur world champion.
Taylor dismissed the idea that a southpaw opponent could cause her problems, determinedly insisting that she will be out to “stamp my authority early on in the fight,” before adding “it’s just important to let them know who’s boss right from the start.”
However, some of the Bray woman’s toughest tests in the amateurs came against ‘lefties’ such as Sofya Ochigava, Natasha Jonas and Yana Alekseevna, while Taylor has been susceptible to right hands – the leading hand of a southpaw – in the past.
“I’ve never really had any trouble boxing against a southpaw,” countered Taylor. “With my amateur experience, you were boxing southpaws nearly every second fight so I think with that experience behind me I’ll be absolutely fine.
I think Meinke’s style is probably a bit more aggressive than the likes of Ochigava and those tricky kind of southpaws. Those kind of fights are a lot better over 10 rounds because you have time to work them out.”
While a tinsel title is on the line tonight, with the WBA inter-continental belt up for grabs, the real prize on offer is a world-title shot as the bout has been slated as an eliminator, with Team Taylor aiming for a homecoming tilt at the big one later this year.
With both Ochigava and Jonas turning pro and multi-weight world champion Amanda Serrano all being southpaws, tonight’s bout also appears to be a primer for future big fights.
“It’s definitely good to get this experience and actually get in the ring against a southpaw this time around, even in preparation for bigger fights down the line,” acknowledged Taylor.
Whatever about the known unknowns in terms of how potentially difficult a professional lefty will be for her, considering the 10-round distance, it seems highly likely that Taylor will record her third stoppage win and a fifth pro victory.
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