Anthony Joshua suffered gruesome in-ring injury before scoring his most bizarre knockout
Fresh from his crowning moment in boxing, Anthony Joshua was forced into some bizarre in-ring adversity against a short-notice foe.
Still yet to secure an opponent for his return to action at the turn of the year, Anthony Joshua is on a quest for a historic third world championship reign in the ring.
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And gunning for a summer blockbuster with British rival Tyson Fury in a bid to finally settle their score, the Olympian is seemingly on track for an outing in Africa first and foremost.
However, off the back of his first taste of world title spoils, the Watford man was tasked with overcoming one of boxing’s more ghastly injuries.
Anthony Joshua’s in-fight incident with Carlos Takam
Turning in a heroic performance to topple Ukrainian icon Wladimir Klitschko, Joshua had nabbed the WBA and IBO heavyweight crowns, adding to his IBF championship.
And initially set to take on Kubrat Pulev, whom he later knocked out, Joshua was joined in the ring by Carlos Takam on short notice on this day in 2017.
Headlining in Cardiff as part of a two-fight residency ahead of a pairing with recent feature Joseph Parker, Joshua emerged with an eventual win, but not without some controversy.
Dealing with a gruesome nose injury after a clash of heads with Takam, Joshua needed 10 rounds to break down the challenger.
And in the most controversial of circumstances, Takam, who was gushing from his face after Joshua opened a sizable cut, was pulled from the contest by official Phil Edwards.
Post-fight, Joshua also noted his displeasure with the bizarre finish, stating, “I come to fight. I don’t sit on the edge and make decisions. It was a good fight until the ref stopped it, so I have the utmost respect for Takam. People want to see Takam unconscious on the floor, and that’s what I was trying to get to.”
Anthony Joshua’s failed Deontay Wilder clash
As well as missing out on a pairing with Pulev until three years later, initial plans would see Joshua compete against the Bulgarian before a mega fight with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
Failing to share the ring with the Tuscaloosa knockout artist so far, Joshua was pegged on multiple occasions to fight Wilder during the former’s reign as WBC pacesetter.
A year after his win over Takam, too, Joshua was lined up for a blockbuster pair of fights against Wilder again, as well as an overdue bout against the above-mentioned Fury.
