During his initial run through heavyweight elites, Anthony Joshua turned in countless notable victories, likely none more impressive than his stoppage of a Russian star.
Three fights deep into his world championship run, Watford veteran Anthony Joshua had stopped Ukrainian favorite Wladimir Klitschko with a penultimate round knockout to win the WBA and IBO crown.
And seemingly untouchable during that period in the division, the Olympic gold medalist would defend his crowns against both Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker in back-to-back showdowns in Cardiff.
However, when pitted against a Russian finisher who had never been stopped, Joshua turned in a victory for the books.
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Anthony Joshua’s penultimate world title defense
Continuing his residency in the UK, Joshua would draw surging Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin on this day in 2018, recording his final victory as defending world heavyweight champion.
Tasked with handing Povetkin his first defeat in five years since his own loss to the above-mentioned Klitschko, Joshua turned in a historic victory in what would come as arguably the height of his pro career in the ring.
Landing an eventual seventh-round knockout win over Povetkin, Joshua became the first fighter to finish the Russian with strikes in professional boxing, landing an emphatic knockdown in the process.
With the victory, Joshua was poised for his first trip to North America to compete, initially against controversial heavyweight star Jarrell Miller.
Anthony Joshua’s short-notice shock against Andy Ruiz
Set to make his debut outing at Madison Square Garden following a rumored clash with Dillian Whyte, Joshua would book a date for New York against the above-mentioned Miller.
Pulled from the title affair following an anti-doping violation, Miller was replaced by Mexican star Andy Ruiz on short notice.
And producing one of the biggest and most devastating upsets in boxing history, Ruiz floored Joshua with two massive knockdowns in the third round, having been dropped himself for the first time in his career.
In the seventh, things went from bad to worse for Joshua, who was put on the canvas for a third and fourth time, eventually suffering a stoppage loss as Ruiz would become the first Mexican-born heavyweight world champion.