Before a boisterous crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium, Joshua and Klitschko traded huge punches and showed grit before Joshua finally found a way to finish the longtime former champion.
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Joshua, who had never fought past the seventh round and despite some shaky moments, paid tribute to Klitschko, who got up three times against him.
He rocked Klitschko with a big left hand, but after leaving him clinging on and celebrating when sending him to the canvas with a powerful barrage, he became reckless, and swallowed a left hook that then left him fighting to survive.
Joshua added the WBA heavyweight title to his IBF belt with a thrilling knockout victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 11 rounds at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
Joshua, meanwhile, now boasts a ideal 19-0 record following his win over Klitschko, with all of the 27-year-old’s victories coming inside the distance.
England’s Joshua remains undefeated as a professional, with 19 victories.
Joshua, 27, confronted Klitschko in the biggest fight the division has seen in years. Anthony was better today.
He said: “The best man one tonight and it’s a awesome event for boxing.
In the end you have to congratulate Joshua”.
“But I don’t want to take the opportunity away from British boxing to be the epicentre of world boxing, which I think we now are”.
Fury, who has not fought since beating Klitschko, replied: “Let’s dance”. That was until Joshua blasted Klitschko with a mean uppercut in Round 11.
JOSEPH PARKER TRANSCRIPT: It was an exciting fight, I was excited to watch the fight and I was analysising what I could’ve done against both fighters.
After the fight, Klitschko was superbly magnanimous, praising Joshua and thanking his fans.
Klitschko is 41 and has now lost his last two fights, albeit over a space of 16 months.
“What can I say?”
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“The way he won confirmed it to me”, added the promoter, after revealing that the British pay-per-view take up for the fight had been more than the record 1.15 million for the Manny Pacquaio-Floyd Mayweather 2015 “fight of the century”. “I was planning to do it, but it didn’t work”. “It was sad I didn’t make it tonight, but a lot of respect to Anthony and to you guys (fans)”.
