Anthony Joshua has retained his world heavyweight titles after defeating Kubrat Pulev in a fight in front of 1000 fans at Wembley Arena.
AJ boxed his way to a ninth-round knockout win to retain the WBA, IBF, and WBO world heavyweight titles in his first fight in over a year.
The 31-year-old came in weighing 240.8lbs, three lbs heavier than when he defeated Andy Ruiz Jr.
Both fighters started off incredibly cagey, but Joshua managed to hit Pulev with a sharp jab in the first round.
Joshua started the second round on fire and leveled the Bulgarian with a five-punch combination, which Pulev smiled at.
In a similar strategy to his last fight, Joshua maintained a distance in the second and used his massive reach to attack the body.
But he could smell blood in the third round and unloaded at will, wiping the smile of Pulev’s face and rocking the 39-year-old. Joshua knocked Pulev down in the third round with a sweetly struck uppercut, yet the Bulgarian’s strong chin kept him in the fight until the ninth. A flurry of uppercuts and a straight right hand eventually floored the spirited Pulev.
Despite the dominance, Pulev did grow into the fight and throw some firm hits in the middle rounds after bringing the former Olympian close.
