Anthony Joshua overcomes a broken nose to knock out Alexander Povetkin - and it now sets up a winner-takes-all fight with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury
- Anthony Joshua beat Alexander Povetkin in a thrilling heavyweight fight on Saturday.
- Joshua kept his composure after suffering a bloodied nose in the first round and eventually dropped and stopped Povetkin with brutal right-hand, left hook combinations the seventh round.
- Joshua's victory tees up a potential super showdown with Deontay Wilder, as the Londoner is scheduled to return to Wembley on April 23, 2019.
- Joshua said Wilder is "a big name and people want to see it."
Anthony Joshua expertly finished Alexander Povetkin to retain his world heavyweight championship titles in a thrilling, back-and-forth fight at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.
Joshua showed great heart as he overcame a badly broken nose, bloodied by a horrific uppercut, left hook combination at the end of the first round.
Povetkin fought like "a f------ animal," according to Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, the group managing director of Matchroom Sport, and he continued to give Joshua hell in subsequent rounds.
However, Joshua never lost his composure, varied his attack, and chipped away at Povetkin's energy reserves by targeting the Russian's body with clever shots. That strategy eventually paid dividends in the seventh round when Joshua sensed the finish, dropped Povetkin, and then stopped him on his feet.
Watch the clinical finish right here:
The fight was over and it was yet another destructive knockout victory for Joshua, who is now targeting a super showdown against Deontay Wilder, his American rival.
Wilder is scheduled to box Tyson Fury on December 1 but Joshua said Wilder is the ideal opponent he wants next, when he returns to Wembley once again on April 23. "Even if he lost, I'd still fight him," Joshua said on YouTube channel iFL TV. "He's a big name and people still want to see it anyway."
As Joshua is the reigning IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO world heavyweight champion, the only major title he does not own is the WBC belt - which is in Wilder's possession. A fight between the two would therefore put all of the major titles in heavyweight boxing on the line for a high-stakes, winner-takes-all bout - and Hearn wants it next year.
"We really do want to fight Wilder and we will do our utmost to make it happen here at Wembley next April," he said, according to The Telegraph.