Anthony Joshua made his name as he emerged from the amateurs as one of the most brutal finishers in the game. In 24 fights, he has won 21 by knockout. Ahead of his fight with Kubrat Pulev, we take a look at ten of his best stoppages.
Anthony Joshua TKO2 Matt Skelton (July 12, 2014)
Skelton was hardly Joshua’s toughest opponent, but as the former Olympian moved up from the amateurs he had to acclimatize to his new professional surroundings, and ideally maintain his unbeaten streak for as long as possible. In the summer of 2014, he was set up with a fight against Skelton, who challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title, back in 2008. A former MMA fighter and kickboxer, Skelton had held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles.
Joshua only needed two rounds to finish off his 6’ 3” opponent, forcing his opponent backward with a series of blows before landing a fierce uppercut with his right to send him down. Shortly after Joshua delivered a left hook, sending Skelton towards the corner as he backed off, and unable to defend himself, the referee was compelled to step in.
Anthony Joshua KO2 Charles Martin (April 9, 2016)
Charles Martin began the match as the defending IBF heavyweight belt, with an impressive 23–0–1, 21 KOs record. His defense was less impressive, lasting just 85 days.
Martin’s reign as champion lasted just two rounds. Joshua raced out of the blocks in the first round, and then followed up in the second with a straight right. Martin was able to recover but Joshua simply repeated the feat, dodging a right hook from his opponent before landing another heavy blow that Martin could not recover from.
Anthony Joshua TKO3 Eric Molina (December 10, 2016)
Joshua had intended to fight Wladimir Klitschko but delays from the WBA and an injury to the Ukrainian champion meant that the fight would not take place until the following year. Instead, he was put up against Eric Molina, whose last fight against Tomasz Adamek was won by the Mexican-American by stoppage.
Joshua needed just three rounds to defend his IBF title for the second time. Combination punches kept Molina on the back foot, with Molina retreating from danger. Joshua then delivered a brutal right hook and then a series of lefts that forced the ref to step in.
Anthony Joshua TKO7 Dominic Breazeale (June 25, 2015)
Before his fight against Molina, Joshua first defended his IBF title against the then-undefeated Dominic Breazeale. Breazeale would quickly lose that distinction.
The fight was one of Joshua’s toughest, with a bloody nose suffered in the sixth round, which may have sparked Joshua to force the issue in the seventh round. Two series of left and right combinations stunned an obviously tiring Breazeale, sending him down. He briefly recovered after beating the count, but at this point, Joshua scented victory and unloaded a succession of punches that sent him to the canvas for the final time.
Anthony Joshua TKO1 Michael Sprott (November 22, 2014)
Sprott was Joshua’s tenth victim, a former Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion. The fight was one of Joshua’s briefest, and yet another stoppage.
The finish was one of Joshua’s most brutal. A combination of damaging body shots came at an alarming speed, forcing Sprott to lower his hands to protect his body. That allowed Joshua to focus on his opponent’s face, and he was able to land another eight or so punches before the referee was forced to wave Joshua away.
Anthony Joshua KO1 Hector Alfredo Avila (March 1, 2014)
Still establishing himself on the heavyweight circuit, Joshua’s fight against Avila came just one month over his win against Dorian Arch. Avila was his fifth professional opponent, and he produced one of his most frightening knockouts.
Avila lasted barely one round. Attempting a right hook, Joshua stepped sharply away from his foe’s attempted assault and clocked Avila on the temple with a devastating left hook. Avila was left nonplussed on the ground, clutching his head in disbelief, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.
Anthony Joshua TKO11 Wladimir Klitschko (April 29, 2017)
The match-up was declared The Ring magazine’s 2017 fight of the year. After months of delay and disappointment, the WBA sanctioned a unification fight for the vacant title that was given up by Tyson Fury.
The first rounds were a cagey affair, with the stalemate broken in the fifth when Joshua landed a huge uppercut that left Klitschko briefly stunned and reeling, but he snapped back into reality before Joshua followed up with a series of aggressive and clumsy hooks that forced Klitschko to the canvas.
The 41-year-old Ukrainian was able to recover, and even managed to knock Joshua down in the next round, but the Briton persevered. In the eleventh round, Joshua landed three heavy hooks from his left and right, and Klitschko tumbled again. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his dogged opponent rose once again, but Joshua went for the kill with another flurry of blows that forced the referee to step in and wave the fight off.
Anthony Joshua TKO1 Emanuele Leo (October 5, 2013)
Emanuele Leo was Joshua’s first professional fight, after turning professional in July 2013 and signing to Matchroom Sport. An untested pro, he was set up with the Italian as part of the Scott Quigg vs Yoandris Salinas’s WBA super bantamweight title fight.
The stoppage was classic Joshua, the audience just didn’t know it yet. From the center of the ring, Joshua started to unload with a barrage of blows, forcing Leon back into the corner every time another punch landed. Leo was about to be saved by the ref who was a fraction of a second from stepping in, but he fell to the canvas before he could decisively intervene.
Anthony Joshua TKO2 Raphael Zumbano Love (May 9, 2015)
Brazilian fighter Raphael Zumbano Love was Joshua’s twelfth professional bout, and he made light work of his South American opponent.
Joshua displayed impressive reflexes before knocking out his opponent after just two rounds. Zumbano Love scuffed Joshua’s forehead, only grazing him as Joshua deftly ducked away. At the same time, Joshua landed a left hook and then a vicious right, a double combination that sent him to the ground.
Anthony Joshua TKO7 Dllian Whyte (December 12, 2015)
Joshua became Commonwealth champion on September 12, 2015, defeating Scotland’s Gary Cornish, and was then given notice that he would be fighting Dillian Whyte in December to compete for the British heavyweight title.
A popular fight with the British boxing audience, the pay-per-view revenue was enough to earn Joshua £3 million, and he produced a knockout to announce himself to a wider audience.
In the seventh round, Whyte was under pressure after a series of blows from Joshua and was given the briefest respite when Joshua missed with a right. Immediately after, he sent an uppercut that took the light from Whyte’s eyes, knocking him clean out. The blow was so emphatic that Whyte was left tangled up on the ropes, unable to rouse himself and well beaten.