boxing

Anthony Joshua fights through broken nose to do what he always does

Published 23:18 28 Oct 2017 BST

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The hype train has barrelled past its 20th stop.

Anthony Joshua insisted that he wouldn't take late replacement Carlos Takam lightly after he answered the call to step in on 12 days' notice after Kubrat Pulev was forced to withdraw with an injury. It was a pre-fight message of typical humility from a fighter who appreciates how quickly things can be ripped away from a heavyweight with one dropped guard or one glancing blow. But his respectful refusal to dismiss Takam proved wise as he was put through his paces on Saturday night in a gruelling title fight. Joshua was a vision of composure backstage in Cardiff as he joked with Manchester United forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and exchanged embraces with Tony Bellew prior to being warmed up by trainer Robert McCracken ahead of his latest title defence. https://twitter.com/anthonyfjoshua/status/924375754879787009 Flanked by a flaming 'A' and 'J', Joshua soaked up the support of the 78,000 in attendance at the Principality Stadium before he took to his stage to put on a show which turned out to last a hell of a lot longer than most pundits predicted. The first round was a cagey affair as Joshua weighed up the threat of his opponent while Takam looked almost afraid to engage too soon. A clash of heads bloodied Joshua's nose early on in the second but it only served to wake up and infuriate the London 2012 gold medallist, who began punishing Takam from the pocket.

With his IBF and WBA heavyweight titles on the line, Joshua settled down in the third round and looked set to test the staying power of the late stand-in. Takam sustained a nasty cut to his left eye late in the fourth round and despite hitting the deck under a thudding left hook, he survived to make it back to his stool at the end of the fourth round. Joshua had predicted that he'd struggle to put Takam away due to his head which was like "a block of cement" and he found out just how durable the 36-year-old's skull was through rounds five, six and seven as Takam refused to wilt despite an additional cut to his left eye.

Any concerns about Joshua's conditioning after weighing in at a career-heavy 18st 2lbs were allayed as he maintained a breathless pace before deciding to pour it all out in the 10th round. Joshua continued to land flush on Takam's chin but, in almost unfathomable style, the challenger remained on his feet. He simply wouldn't go down and had to be saved from himself by referee Phil Edwards in a stoppage that was understandably protested.