Anthony Joshua scored a knockout Francis Ngannou would have been proud of when he demolished Kubrat Pulev.
Having avenged his defeat and become two-time heavyweight world champion a year prior, AJ had to wait 12 months before getting back in the ring as boxing was postponed by the COVID pandemic.
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Joshua’s uppercuts overwhelmed PulevCredit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom
When he eventually did return, Joshua defended the WBA, IBF and WBO belts against IBF mandatory Pulev in a socially distanced Wembley Arena.
The venue had a limited capacity of just 1,000 fans due to the circumstances at the time.
In the first round of the fight, both men began tentatively.
However, it did not take long for Joshua to start unleashing his devastating combinations.
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In round three the contest burst into life as AJ landed an excellent counter right hand that wobbled Pulev and forced him to turn his back, with the referee giving a count as a result.
Later in the third, an uppercut toppled the Bulgarian as the Brit scored a 10- 7 round.
Remarkably, Pulev returned to his feet and survived all the way until round nine.
Joshua was dominant throughout, but the end came in that dramatic ninth round.
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Pulev tried to laugh through the beatdownCredit: Dave Thompson/Matchroom
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But this did not end wellCredit: Matchroom
The champion put relentless pressure on his challenger and as the round wore on, he nailed Pulev with four brutal uppercuts in a row.
The brave Bulgarian remained resolute, until he was hit with yet another three uppercuts which floored him.
Remarkably, Pulev made it to his feet one final time before being smashed with an additional right hand from Joshua.
This sent him crashing back to the canvas for a dramatic one-punch KO.
It was the type of knockout AJ’s next opponent, famed MMA power puncher Ngannou, would have been delighted with himself.
And the pair will meet on Friday night in Riyadh when fans will see which man’s power tells first.
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