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On This Day: Anthony Joshua weathers the storm to deliver knockout Wembley performance
Anthony Joshua is gearing up for his highly anticipated comeback after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last September.
But seven years ago today, Joshua had a far happier experience at England’s national stadium when he took on Alexander Povetkin in front of 80,000 fans.
It was the second time Joshua had headlined at Wembley after he stopped Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round of their thrilling encounter the previous year.
In September 2018, the Brit was an established champion in boxing’s blue-riband division but needed to overcome the significant challenge posed by the dangerous Povetkin.
Joshua did not have things all his own way but eventually prevailed in emphatic fashion to light up Wembley once again.
Joshua’s nightmare fight weekRichard Heathcote/Getty Images
Joshua headed into the Povetkin fight with an unblemished 21-0 professional record and had rarely been tested during his rapid rise through the heavyweight ranks.
He had to dig deep against Klitschko and was briefly wobbled in his grudge match with Dillian Whyte earlier in his career, but only one man had taken him the distance – Joseph Parker.
Like Joshua, Povetkin was an Olympic champion who had won a regular version of a world title, but he had just turned 39 and appeared to be past his best. Few gave him more than a puncher’s chance of pulling off the upset.
However, his hopes were given a boost when Joshua was struck down by illness at the start of fight week.
Although Joshua kept the news of his head cold to himself until after the fight, he later admitted he felt so weak at one stage that he believed “a heavy gust of wind could knock me over”.
It was hardly ideal preparation for a world title fight and went some way to explaining why Joshua would go on to make such a sluggish start at Wembley.
Povetkin wobbles Joshua early
If Povetkin was going to stun Joshua in front of his home fans, he needed to start fast.
That’s exactly what he did as Joshua was quickly made aware he was in for a difficult night.
It was Joshua who had the height and reach advantages, meaning Povetkin had to get in close before unloading combinations.
Both men were tentative early on but at the end of the first round Povetkin launched into action.
The big-punching Russian threw an uppercut followed by a left hook that caused Joshua to stumble backwards.
It appeared more of a balancing issue rather than Joshua being seriously hurt, but it was the moment where Povetkin earned Joshua’s respect.
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Povetkin piles on the pressure
Povetkin had started well, and he did not let up in the second and third rounds.
Joshua was giving up his height advantage by ducking down, while he was also keeping his left hand low, presenting Povetkin with the opportunity to throw his right hand over the top.
The challenger did not need a second invitation and caught Joshua with that exact shot, drawing a gasp from the Wembley crowd.
Povetkin was getting into range and letting his hands go as the two men threw punches with bad intentions that missed the target by millimetres.
Joshua was giving Povetkin chances and there was an argument that he had lost the first three rounds. The champion needed to settle.
Joshua finds his feetPhoto by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Joshua looked uncomfortable in the early exchanges. Perhaps his pre-fight illness was playing on his mind, and he wanted to pace himself in case the bout went into the championship rounds.
But he had to find a response to get back into the contest. With Povetkin dipping down to get in close, the uppercut was the punch Joshua had to execute, and he landed one to knock his rival backwards.
That seemed to give Joshua confidence as he began to get on the front foot.
Another combination saw him connect with a left hook followed by an uppercut as he started to turn the tide.
As the fight moved towards the midway point, Povetkin remained a threat but he was tiring and the momentum was with Joshua.
The knockout blow
Moving into the seventh round, and Joshua had begun to target the body. The champion was sinking in a lead jab to Povetkin’s midriff as he started to think about setting up his punches more.
Another jab to the body landed and Joshua quickly followed it up with a right hand over the top of Povetkin’s guard that landed bang on the chin.
Povetkin wobbled backwards before bravely trying to fight back but his own overhand right missed as Joshua ducked underneath before throwing a right hook to the body and a left hook upstairs.
Povetkin was badly hurt now, and a follow-up right hand dropped him to the canvas for the first time.
The Russian rose on unsteady legs and tried to convince the referee he could continue.
He was allowed to fight on, but Joshua smelt blood and went in for the finish. He threw a flurry of punches culminating with a right hand that left Povetkin staggering across the ring as the referee waved the contest off.
This would prove to be Joshua’s final successful defence of his first championship reign as he suffered a shock defeat by Andy Ruiz nine months later.
But, on this night at Wembley, he fought through illness to get past Povetkin as he remained the unified heavyweight champion of the world.
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