By Harrison Baskind
SINCE Anthony Joshua suffered THAT brutal defeat to Daniel Dubois, there has been a lot of talk about what he has left. Despite this, boxing fans and particularly those from Britain must remember all he has done for the sport.
From winning gold in the 2012 Olympics to becoming world champion in just his 16th fight, he arguably brought back heavyweight boxing in this country when there was a lull for a period of time.
Whilst there have been some critics of his style in the past few years, there is no doubt that he has incredibly heavy hands. With an 89 per cent knockout ratio, he has recorded some spectacular stoppages throughout his career.
In this article, we will examine his best five knockout performances. Note that this is opinion-based. With so many knockouts in his career, there is no doubt that people will have their own unique rankings.
5. Charles Martin – taking the Prince’s crown by force
The night Anthony Joshua won the IBF heavyweight title. ‘AJ’s’ big night took place in 2016 at the 02 Arena in London against newly crowned champion Charles Martin. Joshua was dominant from the opening bell; he restricted his opponent to fighting on the back foot and landed a significant straight right hand near the end of the bell. It only took him a minute into the second round to land the first knockdown.
Joshua easily slipped southpaw Martin’s right hand and landed a counter right hand straight down the pipe, flooring the American. Martin did beat the count but only five seconds after he rose from his feet, Joshua landed an identical shot, putting his man down for the second time. Referee Jean Pierre Van Imschoot waved off the fight, securing the first major step in Joshua’s career.
4. Dominic Breazeale – no ‘Trouble’ for AJ as oak tree finally falls
The first defence of Joshua’s IBF title came against previously undefeated Dominic ‘Trouble’ Breazeale. This fight was tough for ‘AJ’ on paper as he faced a man who was not only heavy-handed but also used to ending his fights early. Despite this, Joshua was dominant. After an uneventful opener, Joshua landed a right uppercut and left hook to send his opponent stumbling across the ring.
Throughout the next few rounds, ‘AJ’ took over, and the man from California tired significantly. It all ended in the seventh when Joshua unleashed a heavy combination of punches to send his opponent down. To his credit, Breazeale did get up; however, after Joshua backed him up again, he was put down a second time, prompting the referee to call a halt to the contest.
3. Dillian Whyte – grudge match settled after carnage and KO
The build-up to this grudge match was sensational. After losing to Whyte in the amateurs, AJ was out to set the record straight. The fight took place in December 2015 and certainly lived up to the build-up. Havoc erupted at the end of the opener after Joshua threw a punch after the bell. Whyte looked to have lost the plot, and his team rushed the ring, cornering their man to prevent any further damage from taking place.
A toe-to-toe battle resumed at the start of the second. Both men landed their own successes, and notably, Whyte looked to have rocked his man at the end of the round. The pattern of the fight continued until the seventh. Joshua’s fitness proved too much for Whyte, as after landing a big right hand, he followed it up with an uppercut, flooring the man from Brixton. This prompted Howard Foster to call off the contest after Whyte was laid out on his back.
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte (Getty Images)
2. Francis Ngannou – saving the face of heavyweight boxing after Francis vs. Fury farce
Many people may wonder why this knockout is so high in the rankings; however, its true destructive nature forces it to be so high. Last summer, in a fight billed as ‘Knockout Chaos, ’ Joshua faced Francis Ngannou out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Originally an MMA fighter, Ngannou was coming off an impressive performance against Tyson Fury, in which many felt a loss was harsh on him, especially as he had managed to knock down ‘The Gypsy King’.
However, he enjoyed nowhere near the same success against Joshua. After switching southpaw in round one, he was punished and dropped by a straight right hand down the pipe. The second round was even more barbaric. Francis was floored again by a similar shot and after rising to his feet for the second time, Joshua laid him out cold with a huge right hand. This left Ngannou on the canvas for several minutes.
1. Wladimir Klitschko – Anthony Joshua grabs his first credible name
Despite taking place in 2017, many people within boxing still regard this as Joshua’s biggest night to date. Defending his IBF belt for the second time, Joshua faced the former unified champion of the world, the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, in front of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium. The fight was named Fight of the Year by the Ring Magazine.
The opening four rounds were cagey and tactical, with neither fighter willing to give an inch to their opponent. Nevertheless, Joshua unleashed a tremendous barrage of punches in the fifth to send the Ukrainian to the ground. Many assumed this was the beginning of the end for the 41-year-old, but in the sixth round, he produced a knockout of his own, sending Joshua onto the canvas for the first time in his career.
The next few rounds were of a similar nature to those at the beginning of the fight. However, the youth of ‘AJ’ proved to be the deciding factor, as after a huge uppercut and a few combinations, he sent his man down. After rising to his feet, Joshua again jumped on him with a left hook, sending him down for the third time in the fight. The brave Ukrainian rose to his feet, but after an incredible fitness showing, Joshua backed his man up in the corner, forcing the referee to call off the fight.
Joshua has produced many special performances in his career, and while Dubois just beat him, if there is one thing the British public has learnt about AJ, it is that he will come again.
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko exchange punches at Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017 in London, England (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)