Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: AJ's five most devastating knockout victories

Anthony Joshua knows anything less than a punctuating knockout against Jake Paul on Friday night would not bode well for his career.

That might be why AJ delivered the bone-chilling warning back in their press conference last month: “I’m going to break his face, break his body up, stomp all over him. That’s my mentality.”

With the former two-time heavyweight unified world champion and Olympic gold medalist promising to destroy Paul, DAZN News thought it was only right to flash back to five of AJ’s most devastating knockout victories.

AJ delivers vicious second-round KO of Francis Ngannou; March 2024

The event billed as “Knockout Chaos” was rather fitting. Anthony Joshua made sure of that by loading up on and detonating a huge overhand right to the temple that rendered the former UFC heavyweight champion motionless, reminding the boxing world just how potent AJ’s punching power can be. 

Joshua eviscerates Robert Helenius with seventh-round KO; August 2023

Blood leaking from his nose, Joshua let Helenius linger on a little too long. In the seventh round, he had enough.

AJ changed levels with his 6-foot-6 frame and stab-jabbed to the body with a left before exploding up from the hip with an overhand right that instantly slept ‘The Nordic Nightmare.’

Another scary knockout.

Joshua crowned new heavyweight king after defeating Wladimir Klitschko via thrilling 11^th-round TKO; April 2017

An instant classic after Joshua dropped Klitschko in the fifth and the latter returned the favor in the sixth round, what ensued was a fireworks-filled slugfest.

The electric bout ended during the 11^th when AJ put Klitschko on jelly legs with a right and finished the job moments later behind a barrage of punches for the epic passing of the torch and coronation of a new heavyweight ruler.

Joshua knocks Charles Martin out inside two rounds; April 2016

It was almost as if Martin throwing a right-handed power jab served as Joshua’s green light. When he saw the American heavyweight pump the shot, AJ rifled a straight counter right to lay Martin out on his back.

Moments later, Joshua would measure Martin up for the same weapon. As Martin threw the jab, AJ lasered the right, putting Martin on his backside for the riveting knockout.

Joshua wipes Dillian Whyte out with pulverizing TKO; December 2015

A raucous right hook to the temple threw Whyte’s equilibrium out of whack.

As ‘The Body Snatcher’ stumbled around the ring on unsteady legs, trying desperately to hold on, Joshua trapped Whyte against the ropes and gave chase until uncorking a picture-perfect uppercut for the instant knockout.

The impact of the shot dropped Whyte in a heap, leaving him tangled in the bottom ropes for an uproarious win.

What a knockout.