The best KOs from the glove of Anthony Joshua

Later this month, Anthony Joshua will face Andy Ruiz in a rematch. The Andy Ruiz Jr v Anthony Joshua II current odds are in favor of AJ winning the bout, and you only have to look at the British boxer’s record to see why. In 23 fights, AJ has defeated 22 of his opponents, 21 of them by KO.

AJ’s only loss came at the hands of Ruiz, in what was one of the biggest shocks in boxing history. Ruiz was an outsider, but by underestimating him, AJ not only lost by TKO in the seventh round, but his perfect record was also in tatters.

Since the rematch confirmation, AJ has been training hard, making sure this time he doesn’t overlook the American. With so much hype surrounding the bout, let’s take a look at why Joshua is still the clear favorite to win, despite the previous result. Here are some of the best KOs that AJ has dealt out in his career so far.

Anthony Joshua vs Raphael Zumbano Love

It was one of Joshua’s easiest KOs, as Zumbano ended up on the floor and out of the bout in the second round. Although the fight was always supposed to be a stepping stone in AJ’s career, nobody expected it to be such a quick and easy win against the WBC Latino heavyweight champion.

AJ was only 25 years old at the time, but he seemed so casual about his win. In a split moment, Zumbano lowered his guard, allowing Joshua to come flying through with a jab. Before he knew what had hit him, AJ was there again with a heavy right-hook. The Brazilian fell to the floor, sprawled out and stunned at what had happened, but well aware that he was no match for Joshua.

Anthony Joshua vs Dillian Whyte

After boasting 14 straight knockouts in the first three rounds, Joshua had to ensure victory against Whyte to claim the British heavyweight title. Although it took until the seventh round to secure a win, Whyte was looking worse for wear, less than two minutes into the bout.

AJ kept landing vital punches which enraged his opponent. The fight turned a bit nasty when both boxers tried to land a few extra punches after the bell had rung – several of the coaching staff had to intervene. The fight became more than personal, and each boxer was fighting for pride. Early on in the seventh round, AJ landed a stunning uppercut, leaving his opponent stumbling towards the ropes and onto the floor.

Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko

One of Joshua’s most talked about KOs is when he defeated Klitschko to unify the WBA Super World heavyweight, IBF World heavyweight and IBO world heavyweight titles. It became an instant classic when the two giants came head to head at Wembley Stadium in 2017.

For the first time in his career, AJ wasn’t the favorite to win the contest. The British boxer should have crumbled under Klitschko, but he surpassed all expectations by defeating the Ukrainian. At the end of the tenth round, either boxer could have lost the bout as both looked ready to collapse. At the end of the following round, Klitschko was on the receiving end of a hefty uppercut which ultimately defined the match. The Ukrainian went on to try and counter-attack, only to be knocked back time and time again. The referee stopped the fight, signalling AJ’s victory.