The new version of Anthony Joshua boxes more than he once did. He’s more patient. The immense power is the same, though. And once he has you hurt, well, stand by.
Joshua outboxed Kubrat Pulev on Saturday night at SSE Arena in London, much as he did in his victorious rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. almost exactly a year ago. The heavyweight titleholder gave us more this time, though – more aggression, more passion, more big shots.
The result was impressive: four knockdowns and a ninth-round knockout in the first defense the three titles he regained by outpointed Ruiz.
Many wondered what demeanor Joshua would bring into the ring after his cautious victory over Ruiz, which followed Ruiz’s stunning knockout of Joshua six months earlier.
The champion was more disciplined than cautious, fighting behind a consistent, stiff jab to both the head and body that kept Pulev at a distance favorable to Joshua. And he waited for openings to present themselves. When they did, the Bulgarian challenger paid a price.
The first two-plus rounds were mostly a feel-out session, with Joshua jabbing and Pulev posturing. Then Joshua hurt Pulev with a right hand and everything changed instantly. A flurry of shots resulted in Pulev turning his back on Joshua and he stumbled into a corner, which referee Deon Dwarte ruled a knockdown.
Then one of many right uppercuts Joshua landed in the fight found Pulev’s chin and he went down on his behind for the second knockdown.
The challenger survived the harrowing round and proved to be resilient for a while. After having regained his senses, it was as if he were saying with his actions, “OK, I’ve taken the best you can offer and I’m still here.”
Pulev (28-2, 14 KOs) actually took the fight Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) at times, jabbing fairly consistently and throwing his right hand periodically in an attempt the turn the tide in his favor. They rarely landed, though, making his mission almost impossible.
Meanwhile, Joshua continued to land jabs and fire off occasionally power shots – including rapid-fire uppercuts – but the fight was relatively competitive until late in Round 9.
Then another right uppercut found the mark and was the beginning of the end. Joshua followed that punch with a few more shots inside and Pulev went down again. He managed to get up even though he was hurt but, seconds later, a perfect straight right hand landed on his chin and he fell flat on his back.
This time, he didn’t get up. The fight was over at 2:58 of Round 9. The Joshua who had destroyed everything in his path was back.
“I stuck to what I do best – boxing,” said Joshua, who hadn’t scored a knockout since Alexander Povetkin more than two years ago. “I picked my shots, put them together. And when they’re successful, they’re successful. As I said, it’s just less talk and more action. I don’t even want to do the interview. I just want fans to appreciate the hard work.
“Everyone go home and have a lovely Christmas. And we’ll see reunite in 2021.”
Against whom?
Oleksander Usyk is the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s WBO title and he’s determined to get his opportunity. Everyone else, it seems, wants to see Joshua fight fellow beltholder Tyson Fury in an all-British showdown for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
That was clear during the interview when Joshua was asked whether he wants Fury next. He suggested the interviewer ask those in attendance at SSE Arena, who numbered in the thousands.
“You ask the crowd what they want to see. I’m up for anything. Look at the resume,” Joshua said.
“OK, who wants to see Anthony Joshua fight Tyson Fury in 2021?” the interviewer asked the fans, whose wild cheers made their preference clear.
“Look, when I started in this game in 2013, I’ve been chasing belts, dealing with mandatories,” Joshua said. “Of course, I want a challenge. It’s not about the opponent. It’s about legacy and the belt. Whoever has the belt, I want to compete with them.
“If that’s Tyson Fury, let it be Tyson Fury. The road to the undisputed is almost clear right now.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn, standing beside Joshua during the interview, echoed his fighter’s sentiments. He made it clear that the representatives of the fighters in question would get down to work soon.
“Since he [first] came into the office he wanted to be undisputed champion,” Hearn said. “We’re going to be friendly, we’re going to be nice. We know what we have to do. Starting tomorrow we make the Tyson Fury fight straight away. It’s the only fight to be made in boxing, it’s the biggest fight in boxing, it’s the biggest fight in British boxing history.
“I know [Joshua] wants it. He’s the best heavyweight in the world, I promise you. He’ll break him down, knock him out. … We know what we have to do. It’s about legacy. Let’s get it done.”
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