Anthony Joshua turns on the style to stop ageing Kubrat Pulev and clear path towards Tyson Fury showdown. Matt Christie s in depth account from Wembley Arena
IN front of 1,000-ish fans, Floyd Mayweather Jnr, a smattering of media and some carefully selected cheerleaders, Anthony Joshua did what he had to do and smashed the stuffing out of Kubrat Pulev.
Well, kind of.
Four counts and countless more jabs, hooks, crosses and uppercuts were not enough to dissuade the Bulgarian veteran from wanting more inside Wembley SSE Arena. The pesky IBF mandatory, who had thoroughly enjoyed his time in London where he made it his mission to get under Joshua’s skin, was in no mood to walk away quietly, even after being counted out at 2-58 of the ninth round. He peeled himself off the canvas, told his handlers he was still good to go and repositioned himself in Joshua’s face. The WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion – fresh from a congratulatory embrace from Mayweather – had no desire to k