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And still…Joshua KOs Povetkin in seven
WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 22-0, 21 KOs) scored a spectacular seventh round KO over former champion Alexander Povetkin (34-2, 24 KOs) on Saturday night in front of 80,000 at London’s Wembley Arena. Povetkin won round one, landing a good left hook late. Joshua may have sustained a broken nose. Povetkin rocked Joshua again in round two forcing Joshua to hold on. As the bout progressed, 39-year-old Povetkin began to slow down. The end came in round seven when Joshua stunned Povetkin with a left hook, then dropped him a crushing right hand. Povetkin struggled to his feet but Joshua finished him with a brutal right hand that sent him to the deck again as the fight was being waved off. Time 1:59.
Posts: 12,595
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Posts: 12,595
Threads: 286
Joined: Jan 1970
Anthony Joshua's victory reflects well on Joseph Parker but British champ still in a different league
Marvin France
OPINION: It is not so much what might have been but feelings of frustration for Joseph Parker would have undoubtedly bubbled to the surface after watching Anthony Joshua sweep past another heavyweight contender.
Joshua defended his IBF, WBA and WBO titles with a crushing seventh round knockout of Alexander Povetkin on Sunday (NZ time), extending his perfect record to 22-0.
Returning to Wembley for the first time since his memorable victory over Wladimir Klitschko last year, Joshua delivered an emphatic finish to become the first man to KO the 39-year-old Russian in 36 fights. But it was not a flawless performance.
The 28-year-old Briton showed weakness fighting at close quarters early in the contest as the challenger pressured the champion with his explosive exchanges on the inside.
And for a moment, albeit extremely brief, one wondered if we were about to witness a monumental upset when Povetkin staggered Joshua with an uppercut and short left-hook at the end of the first round, the effects of which lingered throughout the second.
Needing to overcome sizeable disadvantages in height and reach, Povetkin knew his only chance of winning was to turn the fight into a brawl, a gameplan he implemented successfully for about half the contest.
Parker went into his bout against Joshua in March hoping to employ similar tactics. But the former WBO champion was barely given a chance by over-zealous referee Giuseppe Quartarone, who jumped at any sign of a clinch.
Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker are headed in different directions.
The standard of the officiating that night was panned the world over but that is not to suggest that Parker was robbed of victory - far from it.
In the end Parker did not apply enough pressure on Joshua and Povetkin was far more assertive than he ever was.
But perhaps the 26-year-old - 13 years younger than the Russian and with much fresher legs - would have been able to maintain the rage longer with a more lenient official and push 'AJ' into deeper waters.
Povetkin is as durable as they come and the fact that Parker remains the only man to go the distance with Joshua should not be overlooked.
But he can only hold on to that for so long. At this point in time, their careers are headed in different directions. Joshua is a class above.
Parker, of course, failed to build on the profile he received in the UK from their title fight by succumbing to a second successive unanimous points defeat to Dillian Whyte in August.
He is hopeful of securing a rematch with Whyte but that seems unlikely anytime soon with the latter shaping as Joshua's next opponent if he cannot come to an agreement with WBC king Deontay Wilder, who is slated to meet Tyson Fury in December.
Joshua, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength.
After surviving the early barrage from Povetkin he responded like all the great champions do, changing his tactics by switching focus from the head to the body.
Once Povetkin slowed down, Joshua displayed the ruthless streak he has built his career on, flooring his opponent with a vicious right hand that would have been felt all the way in Moscow.
Turning 29 next month, Joshua is right in his prime and it would be a travesty if he and Wilder, undefeated in 40 fights, cannot come to an agreement in the near future.
Only then will we truly know who just who is the best heavyweight on the planet.
But while he still has a few kinks to iron out, with each performance it is becoming increasingly difficult to deny Joshua of that status.
Stuff
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Very good fight. Enjoyed it with some mates and a fry-up.
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NakiFan, did you think that an upset was in the making after the first two rounds?
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I said this to my mates before the fight...
"AJ will be cautious as AP will try and get in quick and throw the left. AJ will stick behind the jab, and AP will eventually get clocked. AJ will swarm in and get the waveoff in about round 4-6"
I was pretty chuffed when the guys said, nailed it!
AP did do well, and it was a very entertaining fight, but AJ is just too powerful and tall. While there was some tense moments, AJ didn't really look too troubled, just frustrated with the early nose issue.
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(09-23-2018, 05:00 PM)diehard Wrote: NakiFan, did you think that an upset was in the making after the first two rounds?
I didn't.
A lot of people were too dismissive of Povetkin going in.
The guy has one loss to a prime klitschko and klitschko resorted to all sorts of horrible tactics to beat him.
Povetkin is a very clean puncher and very well schooled, I knew he'd be dangerous early, Joshua jab to the body was what won him the fight.
