Anthony Joshua vs. Konstantin Airich: Fight Time, Date, TV Info and More
The next step in the construction of what many hope will be the next great heavyweight will take place Saturday. Anthony Joshua (7-0, 7 KO) will attempt to keep his undefeated run going as he takes on Konstantin Airich as part of the undercard for the Scott Quigg vs. Stephane Jamoye main event at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England.
Not one of Joshua's seven previous opponents has made it out of the second round.
Airich hasn't had many notable moments thus far in his career. He has faced Danny Williams, Ondrej Pala (twice), Christian Hammer and Manuel Charr, but he lost in all of those bouts.
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That doesn't bode well for him against Joshua.
Airich's list of goals heading into the bout will be to first survive the first six minutes, then to last the entire eight rounds, and then to find some way to be competitive or to even hand Joshua his first defeat.
Here's how you can watch Airich's seemingly impossible mission.
When: Saturday, September 13 at 3 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. locally
Where: Phones 4u Arena in Manchester
TV: Sky Sports
In Need of a Nickname
Joshua has won a gold medal, he's 6'6", looks like he's chiseled out of London Stone, and he's equipped with an inner drive that makes him want to be the best.
Add in an infectious personality that will endear him to fans all over the world, and you just might have the prototypical heavyweight of this era. Perhaps that's what he should be called: The Protoype.
Whether that sticks or not, Joshua's rise in the heavyweight ranks is going to begin to grab the attention of fight fans everywhere soon—if he keeps winning. All of the great heavyweights have a nickname: "Iron" Mike Tyson, Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, "Big" George Foreman.
While Joshua is miles away from being on those legends level, now is the time for him to brand himself. He's even been sparring with current heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko. Per Sky Sports, Joshua said this about the sparring session:
"I felt I belonged there but Wladimir is different to everyone else, He's been the champ for 10 years - he's in a league of his own. For me to be where Wladimir Klitschko is there's a lot of work to be done. I can see myself potentially being there, but to own it and make it look easy, there's a little bit of work to be done.
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Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn talks about Joshua and others in his stable in the interview below.
Big guys with undefeated records and major punching power sell tickets. Joshua is aptly equipped to keep his record unblemished for a while and to keep knocking guys out in the process.
In the next three years, he could have the biggest name in boxing. That might sound ambitious, but that's how talented he is. It's also indicative of how wide open the sport is for the next superstar once Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao call it quits.
A Step up in Competition or the Last Squash Opponent?
By most accounts, Joshua hasn't really faced a good opponent yet. Matt Skelton was the most recent to be stopped by Joshua, and he was one of the most experienced foes the young phenom had faced. Skelton had compiled a 28-8 record before Joshua took him to task in July.
The loss was Skelton's third in a row. At 47 years old, it might have been his last fight.
Though he's 12 years younger, Airich is also an experienced veteran, but he'll obviously be hoping to come up with a better showing.
He lost his last fight by unanimous decision to Denis Bakhtov, who is coincidentally listed as Joshua's next opponent in October, per BoxRec.com.
If Airich were to win, it would certainly throw a monkey wrench in Team Joshua's plans. Then again, who am I kidding?
Prediction
Joshua will smash Airich inside of two rounds to keep up his torrid pace. From a technical standpoint, the 6'1" Airich will have great difficulty getting close enough to Joshua to do any real damage. A stiff jab and a thunderous right hand will likely be Airich's undoing as he makes an effort to land against the bigger man.
The Bahktov fight will be for the vacant WBC international heavyweight title. It's not a world title, but it could be the first of many championships Joshua wins in his career.
As for this fight, don't go to the restroom. You just might miss it.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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