Wladimir Klitschko may be the world heavyweight champion, but for the majority of British boxing fans his latest defence against Russia’s Alexander Povetkin in Moscow on Saturday pales in comparison to the much-anticipated pro debut of British super heavyweight Olympic champion Anthony Joshua.

Joshua, who will be taking on unbeaten Italian heavyweight Emanuele Leo at London’s O2 Arena, is appearing on a bill that also includes fellow Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell, WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg, British and Commonwealth featherweight champion Lee Selby, and the ever-popular Kevin Mitchell.  

Despite the quality names just mentioned, Joshua has garnered most of the pre-fight publicity — testament perhaps to the exalted status still attached to the heavyweight division and Joshua’s remarkable physical presence.

Standing at 6'6" and sporting the physique of a Mr Universe contender, he undoubtedly looks the part.

Add to the mix a team behind him that includes promoter Eddie Hearn and one of the best trainers in British boxing in the shape of Tony Sims, the 23-year-old would appear to have the perfect launch pad from which to progress in a division which is already in decent shape in Britain.

Whether he can move beyond domestic level is too early to tell, which is why his debut against a tough unbeaten opponent has generated so much attention.

Joshua, whatever his physical gifts, is clearly a mature and level-headed young fighter, evidenced in the way he took his time after the Olympics before turning professional.

Hearn has recounted the advice he gave him to go and speak to every promoter in Britain before deciding who to sign up with, revealing the confidence to go with his ever-growing and successful Matchroom stable.

The biggest problem that Joshua faces after enjoying a successful amateur career is adjusting to the pros.

This involves developing the fitness required to fight more than the three rounds of an Olympic amateur bout, fighting without a headguard and also with smaller gloves.

He will also have been working on generating more power in his shots — power being a major factor in the pro ranks — no doubt by learning how to transfer the weight through his hips more effectively than required in the amateurs.

To the uninitiated the difference between amateur and professional boxing will be hard to discern. In truth they are almost two completely different sports.

In the amateurs the objective is to score more points than your opponent by connecting with more scoring shots, counted by judges sitting ringside, of which there are five rather than the three who score a professional bout.

The power of those shots is irrelevant — just as long as land more shots with the scoring part of the glove, ie the knuckle.

As the winner of the super-heavyweight gold at the London Olympics, Joshua will already be accustomed to publicity and scrutiny.

However with the lamentable professional career of Audley Harrison as an example not to follow — likewise a British Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist who had been expected to reach the heights in the pros but ended up something of a laughing stock — Joshua will feel added pressure to make his debut a convincing one.

He has benefitted in recent months from the advice of Britain’s most famous and successful ever heavyweight Lennox Lewis.

However Lewis also got behind Harrison when he turned pro and most recently helped train David Price prior to his second defeat in a row against Tony Thompson. At this rate the word “jinx” might begin to appear in relation to Lewis’s involvement with British heavyweight prospects.

Let’s hope Joshua proves the exception to this unfortunate pedigree and lives up to the hype generated by his entry into the pro ranks.