Voice of London

Anthony Joshua is set to defend his WBA and IBF heavyweight titles in Cardiff against Carlos Takam. Many are expecting Anthony Joshua to extend his undefeated record to 20-0 with a possible knockout.

About his opponent, Joshua said: “To have a style like Takam’s, not a lot of people have long careers. He just eats up a little bit of ground each round.”

Carlos Takam became the replacement for Pulev and has had only 12 days to prepare for the Brit. The giant Bulgarian pulled out of the fight after receiving a shoulder injury causing him to become sidelined in the upcoming heavyweight bout.

Takam is looking to dethrone the current heavyweight champion and put an end to his 19-0 undefeated streak in Cardiff.

But who is Carlos Takam?

Born in Douala, Littoral, Cameroon the Heavyweight has had his fair share of professional fights throughout the years.

Takam represented Cameron in 2003 in the All-African Games winning bronze for the Super heavyweight category and then going on to win gold in the African Championships.

His professional debut came in 2005 against Frenchman Zine Eddine Benmakhlouf, claiming victory by points.

Takam defeated American Tony Thompson by unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight title which he later lost to Alexander Povetkin by knockout, adding to the Cameroonian’s loss record.

Takam’s most recent loss came against Joseph Parker back in May 2016 ending by unanimous decision.

His most recent victory came against Ivica Bacurin where Takam won by knockout.

Takam on fighting Joshua: “A surprise will be out there for everyone.”

Does Carlos Takam have any chance?

Carlos Takam has much more experience than Joshua as a heavyweight competitor but yet Joshua has become a household name in a shorter space of time than Takam.

Joshua has youth on his side which was a deciding factor against one of the greats of the heavyweight divison, Wladimir Klitschko. Arguably considered one of the greatest heavyweight bouts of this generation.

Takam has not fought heavyweights in the same caliber as that of Wladimir Klitschko. The Cameroonian is seen as an underdog in this fight despite being the most experienced fighter of the two.

Joshua has had more time to prepare for his bout which means Takam may have to make the most of this heavyweight opportunity considering he has had less time to prepare.

The size of each fighter and what is at stake tomorrow night will decide the direction of the fight and will surely be one to remember despite it not being the initially planned fight from the start.

Boxing replacement fighters facts

• Demarcus Corley defeated Felix Flores with a first round knockout winning the Light Welterweight title, despite only having five days notice.
• Humberto Soto defeated Rocky Suarez, even though he had only been informed of the change two weeks prior to the fight.

Credit: Photo – Daily Mail and Getty Images

Music – from Audio Library by Otis McDonald

Words: Asllan Gecaj | Subbing: Kieran Soutter

Feature Image from Pixabay