When asked after proving to be one of the best of his time knocking out Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round before a thousand fan at Wembley Arena, Anthony Joshua tells the crowd:
“Last year, 2019. I want to challenge. It’s not about the opponent. It’s about the legacy and the belt. If that’s Tyson Fury, let it be Tyson Fury. It’s no big deal.”
The Watford-born of Nigerian origin fought against the 39-year-old Bulgarian without a glimpse of fear in sight. Putting his WBA, IBF, and WBO world heavyweight titles at stake. But we see the 31-year-old standing tall retaining all his belts. This was a match won weighing 240.8lbs, three lbs heavier than when he defeated Andy Ruiz Jnr. last December to reclaim his titles at Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
At the beginning of the first round, Pulev and AJ held the game tight but AJ was able to break through with a sharp jab. In the second round, Pulev smiled at AJ’s five-punch combo to keep his fire burning. The black shark attacking furiously could smell blood as he continued to attack his opponent with great strikes. Despite the whirlpool, Pulev fought back with successful hits in the subsequent rounds. AJ finally gained control again in round seven with a clever distance after each strike. And in round nine, he brought the game to an end with a heavy blow recording a KO victory with 24 wins and 1 loss in his career so far.
Earlier before the fight, the champion had turned down interviews, and proving himself before the crowd was his way of making a statement. “Less talk, more actions,” he said. He went further on YouTube to acknowledge Floyd Mayweather in his victory revealing that the undefeated legend once told him that boxing is a game of chess, not checkers.
♟ @anthonyfjoshua x @FloydMayweather #JoshuaPulev pic.twitter.com/huZJgggG1L
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) December 12, 2020
As a new year approaches, the world anticipates Floyd Mayweather’s match against YouTuber Logan Paul. The question of whether the legend will continue to boast of his 50-0 outstanding record lies on everyone’s lips.
By Elijah Christopher
Elijah Christopher, a journalist at A New Touch Of Africa, is also a creative writer, a poet, and an IoT enthusiast. He contributed to the collaborative poem written in celebration of Edwin Morgan Centenary, the first Glasgow poet laureate and Scottish national poet from the University of Glasgow. He loves meeting people and learning about new places, cultures, events, and lifestyles.
