10. Hrjove Kisicek
Joshua dropped the overmatched Croat in the second and after he got up, Joshua put on a show. He dropped his hands by his sides, made Kisicek miss – and then opened up with a fast volley of punches. It took the referee two attempts to drag Joshua off his opponent.
9. Eric Molina
The fans were hoping for Klitschko, but after he was injured, they got Molina – and Joshua got rid of the outgunned schoolteacher from Texas inside three rounds. Molina had stiffened Deontay Wilder’s legs briefly in a previous world-title challenge – but he barely laid a glove on Joshua.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiOfiV5goc
8. Paul Butlin
Butlin was a hard man from the Midlands who reckoned Lucas Browne was the hardest puncher he had faced – until he faced Joshua. “You don’t realise how hard he hits,” said Butlin, “until he hits you. He hit me with a jab and I thought: ‘F*ck !’” The right hand was heavier – and it knocked Butlin off his feet in the second round.
7. Wladimir Klitschko
The fight that had everything . . . The final twist came in the penultimate round when Joshua’s right uppercut knocked all the fight out of the proud former champion.
6. Kevin Johnson
The fight that made America sit up and take notice . . . Johnson had never been stopped before and according to stories in the press, possibly all they were, he bet £1,000 on himself to beat Joshua. He got thrashed. Johnson only just made it through the opening round after being dropped heavily twice. Joshua showed patience in the second and just when it seemed Johnson might get through the crisis, Joshua jumped on him and poured on punch after punch to force the stoppage.
5. Matt Legg
Legg was a game 37 year old from Milton Keynes who went way back with Joshua. Joshua remembered training alongside Legg at Callowland ABC – and buying a ticket to watch him fight. They fought each other on the undercard of the Carl Froch-George Groves undercard at Wembley Stadium and to start with, Legg did OK. “The moment I stopped moving my head,” said Legg, “he hit me.” The punch Joshua hit him with was a pulverising short right uppercut – and it dropped Legg. “I tried to get up,” he said, “but I couldn’t see anything. It felt like there was blood pouring out of my eyes.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWLHsc1g5L0
4. Emanuele Leo
After winning gold at the London Olympics, Joshua made his pro debut against an Italian with an 8-0 record. Promoter Eddie Hearn would describe Leo as “the perfect opponent.” He came to fight – and got knocked out. The gulf in class between the two was obvious from the opening seconds and when Joshua sensed the time was right, he quickly jumped through the gears and blasted Leo out of the fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUrhFmespI0
3. Raphael Zumbano Love
The advice from Joshua’s corner at the end of the opening round was: “Right hand over the jab” – and it worked. The punch sent the Brazilian heavyweight champion, who came with a puncher’s reputation, crashing onto his back. 13 fights, 13 wins, 13 KOs.
2. Charles Martin
There was a Mike Tysonesque “What did you expect ?” shrug of his shoulders after Joshua had taken just four minutes, 32 seconds to take the IBF heavyweight championship in only his 16th professional fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb6MXB3x9FM
1. Dillian Whyte
What a way to settle a feud! Bad blood simmered between Joshua and Whyte ever since they met as novice amateurs on a club show way back in 2009. Whyte handed Joshua a standing count on the way to a points win and insisted he had his number. Joshua proved otherwise at the O2 Arena in December, 2015. Shaken up in the second, Joshua rallied to spectacularly lay out Whyte in the seventh.