Anthony Joshua dropped Kubrat Pulev four times en route to a ninth-round knockout in front of approximately 1,000 fans at the SSE Arena in London on Saturday.
Joshua was patient, methodical, and when openings presented themselves, the Brit clobbered Pulev with a variety of shots, felling the top 10-ranked opponent again and again. Against Pulev, a 39-year-old marginally flirting with title contention, Joshua again boxed with caution, didn't rush the Bulgarian even when he had him hurt with big shots in the third round, and instead let the finish come to him — a deft pull-counter in the ninth. Aside from near-constant rabbit punches (blows to the back of the head), Pulev rarely troubled Joshua. He had brief moments in the middle of the fight but was out-boxed, out-maneuvered, and out-punched through the contest.
It is hoped victory tees up a lucrative match involving Joshua, the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight boxing champion, and the WBC incumbent Tyson Fury.
In preparation for the fight, both Joshua and Pulev looked lean and fit at Wednesday evening's workouts - the challenger shadow-boxed for several minutes but the champion went through a far more ominous routine. Joshua spent upwards of 20 minutes wrapping his hands most professionally despite it only being for a public workout - that is a trick he learned from Wladimir Klitschko, the long-standing former champion, and something he has recently added to his preparation.
He then insisted cameras were switched off and everybody except his training team left the room before going through one of his final workouts before he trades punches with Pulev.
Joshua's trainer Rob McCracken said about Pulev: "He is slim, he has lost weight, his fitness levels look good so he might come on the front foot. But he is a boxer who puts pressure on behind the jab. He is a top-class heavyweight."
Pulev told Sky Sports: "Saturday is the most important day of my life. I trained since I was 12, I became a champion in Bulgaria when I was 14.
"This is my dream, this was the dream of my father.
"Knockout? I just need this win. I want to do it for my father, for my country, for Bulgarian sport. Not just for me.
It was the first legacy-shaping win of Joshua's career, and the back-and-forth nature of the fight — with Joshua climbing off the canvas to finish the Ukrainian — helped retain a fierce interest in heavyweight boxing.
His record rose to 19 knockouts from 19 wins but as he reached top-tier championship bouts, an evolution in style began to shape the way he fought.
The retired boxer Floyd Mayweather, who founded Mayweather Promotions in 2007, flew to England to watch Joshua retain his world titles from ringside.
Floyd Mayweather was ringside.
As he made his way into the venue, Mayweather told the UK broadcaster Sky Sports that Joshua "is one of the best heavyweights out there."
The American said: "His career is going great, he is a helluva fighter."
Said Joshua: "I play a smart game and I make the right moves at the right time. Round nine, I got the knockout and onto the next."
The next fight the boxing world wants is the Fury vs. Joshua match.
Though Joshua appeared to loathe naming Fury specifically, he asked the fans at Wembley Arena who they wanted to see him box next. Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn, the group managing director of Matchroom, could be seen rubbing his fingers together at the prospect of booking the money fight of 2021, though.
And Fury's representative, the Top Rank CEO and founder Bob Arum said his company will open talks for the fight Monday. Fury also pledged to knockout Joshua during a video call-out that night. "I want the fight. I want the fight next. I'll knock him out in three rounds," Fury said.
A trilogy bout involving Fury and long-time rival Deontay Wilder could be closer than we might have thought, as Insider previously reported.
