Wladimir Klitschko is one of the most legendary boxers to ever compete in the heavyweight division and on Saturday he found himself on the receiving end of a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.
Wladimir Klitschko got punched in the face really hard
Anthony Joshua delivered a stunning knockout of legend Wladimir Klitschko is a heavyweight title bout on Saturday.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
It was the biggest step up in competition for Joshua, who came into Saturday’s fight with 18 fights, all wins and all by knockouts, ever for his career. He’d never fought anybody close to Klitschko’s level and Saturday’s bout had him in danger several times.
Klitschko, who came into the fight with a 64-4 record with 53 knockouts to his name, rallied several times and had Joshua backing up and defending the kind of punches he’s never had to defend in his career to this point.
But despite the rallies from Klitschko and the deep waters he put Joshua in, the 11th round ended with Klitschko knocked down twice before the referee stepped in. Klitschko was on wobbly legs for much of the round after getting rocked quickly at the start of it.
It was definitely a passing of the torch moment. The lead up to Saturday’s fight was full of hype, but both fighters were very respectful. It was also much more dramatic a fight than Klitschko’s 2015 loss to Tyson Fury. Joshua’s career high is this moment, but the way he handled everything that Klitschko — who did not look rusty at all — threw at him was incredible.
As the IBF and WBA title holder, Joshua could go in many different directions at this point. If Fury wants to fight again, that would be a good one, while Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker also could be part of potentially huge title fights.
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