In only 4 years, Anthony Joshua has made a name for himself as one of the most promising, prominent boxers of this generation. Standing at a whopping 6’6″, this man burst onto the pro boxing scene as one of its biggest boxers (literally!). What’s even larger than his physical stature is the “bang!” hiding in his fists, deceptively contrasted by the ordinary, unassuming 10 oz gloves he dons in the ring. It’s only natural that with such a spectacular amount of striking power and skill that Joshua has been able to knock out 100% of his opponents in the pro boxing world. In this article, we’re going to look at the Top 5 Anthony Joshua Knockouts!
1. Matt Skelton
Matt Skelton put up a decent fight in the first round. However, he took some flush shots near the end of the round and tried to shake it off as if they were ineffective. As the second round progressed, it was easy to see that Joshua had picked apart Skelton more so on a mental level than a physical one. After the first knockdown in the second round, Skelton knew he was in trouble. Virtually defenceless against Joshua’s onslaught in the second round, Skelton quickly grew tired, weary, and his form, unfortunately, became sloppy. Joshua smelled blood and went in for the kill.
2. Paul Butlin
The 37-year-old Butlin, like majority of Joshua’s opponents, started off the fight on a good note. He was establishing his rhythm, trying to read Joshua. Before Butlin realized it, Joshua was all over him, wobbling his knees within the first round. Butlin held on for dear life and Joshua stalked him for the rest of the round, applying pressure. For Butlin, the second round was where everything would end. Joshua charged in, threw a heavy cross against the top of Butlin’s orbital, splitting his face open slightly. Butlin fell, but surprisingly got back up. Like a cheetah looking to finish the job, Joshua did just that.
3. Michael Sprott
This was domination in the purest sense of the word. This matchup metaphorically looked like a koala got thrown into the lion’s den. Joshua scored an impressive first-round TKO against Sprott, rocking his prey down the middle of the guard, disorienting him. Seeing Sprott vulnerable, Joshua went in to cement the win.
4. Dillian Whyte
After suffering a loss from Whyte in the amateurs, Joshua came into this fight with a new mindset. There was bit of drama in the pre-fight press conference with Joshua openly acknowledging that loss, yet also identifying Whyte as “just another fighter”. This lit a raging fire within Whyte, giving him the vigour, courage, and willpower to go 7 rounds with Joshua! This is the second longest pro fight Joshua has had to date, as well as one of his more impressive knockouts.
5. Wladimir Klitschko
Simply put, this was a most legendary knockout. After a 21-fight winning streak, the Ukrainian, Wladimir “Dr. Steelhammer”, Klitschko notorious for his masterful out-boxing, boxing finesse, and ring generalship, was finally brought down by AJ. This was a far-reaching accomplishment for Joshua, being able to go 11 rounds with a boxing legend, and knock him out at that.
Having a 100% KO rate is no easy feat. Long time veterans of the boxing game are unable to do this. Yet, in 4 years, Joshua has been able to successfully pick apart every opponent set in front of him. He took down the man that hardly anyone else was able whilst remaining true to form. Accomplishments like this should be analysed in terms of how your individual will and training assuredly pay huge dividends in performance. There will no doubt be more coming from AJ in the near future so keep an eye out; we think this is only the “first round” of his career! Which boxing matches have inspired you the most? Let us know below, on Facebook or Twitter @KeepfitKingdom !
