Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker fight predictions: Does the Kiwi have any chance of upsetting the odds in Cardiff?

Our sports desk predict Saturday night's huge heavyweight clash

It’s almost time. This weekend, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker will meet at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, with the WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO titles all on the line. The winner will emerge with all four belts and a shot at becoming the first man in the history of heavyweight boxing to hold all of the major world titles at the same time. The loser will leave with nothing.

But how will the fight pan out? The bookies seem united in agreement that it’s going to be an easy evening’s work for Joshua — but will Parker really roll over that easily? Can Joshua shrug off that rather poor performance against Takam? And does Parker have the power to stop his opponent considering his last three fights have all gone the distance?

All of these questions and more will be answered shortly after 10pm on Saturday night. But in the meantime, here are The Independent’s fight predictions.

Luke Brown, Joshua 6th round:

Parker may well be undefeated, and unlike Joshua has never touched the canvas during his professional career, but he has never knocked out or stopped a truly world-level opponent. He has relied on mixed decisions to win two of his last three fights. He has never boxed in this kind of environment before. And — crucially — he has never stepped into the ring with somebody who can hit as hard as Joshua.

Meanwhile, Joshua is only getting better. And he has a point to prove after that Takam fight, which many unfairly derided as something of an uninspiring evening at the office. And so I see an outcome similar to the one between Dillian Whyte and Lucas Browne last weekend, with Joshua dominating from the first bell and securing a stoppage halfway through the fight.

Who will come out on top on Saturday night? (Independent)

Jack Austin, Joshua 11th round:

With so much focus on Anthony Joshua facing Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder or Whyte next, some have taken it for granted that he will get passed Joseph Parker with ease. I’m not buying Parker being overawed by the occasion, he has been too cool in the build-up for that.

I think Joshua will be pushed quite far, even have a scare along the way, but get through it before the end of the 12th. I'm going for Joshua to pick off Parker in the 11th.

Will Joshua prove too cool for Parker? (Getty)

Jack de Menezes, Joshua on points:

Someone’s 0 has got to go, and I’m hedging my bets that it’ll be Parker who experiences his first defeat of his career. For Joshua, he has experienced the raucous stadium atmosphere that will greet the two heavyweight champions, he knows what to expect and he knows how to feed off it. Parker doesn’t, and if facing a bigger man in Joshua wasn’t tricky enough, he will need to get used to it quickly.

Joshua’s victory over Wladimir Klitschko proved he can keep something in the tank for 12 rounds, and while Parker looks to be a strong opponent, I believe he will only succeed in being the first man to take Joshua the distance. Joshua takes this one on points after a tactical slow-burner.

Parker is the underdog (Getty)

Ed Malyon, Joshua 8th round:

I think Rob McCracken was right in saying the other day that Joshua is in his absolute prime. This is the point of his career where he looks and feels untouchable and while there is one eye on this potential fight with Deontay Wilder, there's still enough about Joseph Parker to keep him honest.

That said, Joshua brings the house down in Cardiff this weekend with an eighth-round stoppage and the hype train keeps rolling into the big fight of the autumn - hopefully in Las Vegas.

McCracken, the man behind Joshua's attempt to unify the division (Getty)

Lawrence Ostlere, Joshua on points:

Joshua will win simply because he is technically superior to Parker. His victory over Klitschko also demonstrated his deep reserves of mental and physical resilience should things get dicey against Parker, a composed and disciplined fighter who is unlikely to make many mistakes.

The Kiwi will probably battle through to the end where he will ultimately be on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against a more adept boxer.

Parker laboured past Fury in his last fight (Getty)

Adam Hamdani, Joshua 9th round:

21 fights, 21 wins, 21 by way of knockout. That's what Michael Buffer will be screaming out after nine rounds of boxing.

Granted, Parker poses a problem that Joshua hasn't yet faced in his career — he's an unbeaten, world heavyweight champion looking to unify the division, and you don't get to that stage without being a talent in your own right. And It certainly won't be a straightforward, Joshua will need to establish his jab and ensure that he dictates the tempo.

Joshua keeps on speaking about how hard he is training and that he is prepared to go for the full 12 rounds — but with as much power and refined skill as he has, it shouldn't have to go that far. It just depends how much the WBO champion can take. Joshua will win by TKO after nine.

Joshua fights Parker on March 31 (Getty)

Uh oh. It appears that every single one of us has predicted Joshua to beat Parker — and relatively comfortably at that — which means if Parker lands the upset this article will be deleted immediately. Screenshot it now before it’s too late, folks.

Agree with our predictions? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below or over at @IndySport.