Anthony Joshua’s sensational victory over Wladimir Klitschko proved to be a remarkable night in British boxing.
On 29 April, 2017, in front of 90,000 watching fans at Wembley and millions of viewers across the globe, Joshua climbed off the canvas to stop the two-time world champion in the 11th.
Three years ago to this very day, the 2012 Olympic Gold medallist showed the world he was a deserving world champion to finish Klitschko in a fight described by ESPN as ‘the biggest heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis knocked out Mike Tyson’.
You have to be made of stern stuff to not get goosebumps when you watch ‘AJ’ plant a vicious uppercut on the giant Ukrainian’s chin before the dramatic finish.
But despite the drama of the fight, which was voted Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine, neither man resorted to underhand tactics or trash talking and the feeling of good sportsmanship was evident throughout.
Or so it would have appeared.
Speaking in the aftermath of the event, Joshua admitted to goading the veteran at the end of the tenth round.
He told his former sparring partner, ‘I will whoop your a*** in the next round’, before proceeding to send him crashing to the canvas twice.
In the post-fight press conference, the newly unified world heavyweight champion told the world he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike and end the fight.
He said: “My coaches said I needed to win the next round (at the end of the tenth), but I told them I just took that round off.”
“I needed a rest.”
Despite the trash talking from the usually reserved Joshua, the class and decorum which was maintained throughout the build up continued well after the fight had ended.
Although he had the Brit hurt in the sixth round after a spearing right hand, Klitschko admitted he could do no more to finish the fight.
“It was a good fight. I wish I had been the winner of tonight’s contest,” Klitschko admitted. “‘AJ’ did a good job. He was trying, he was focused and even when he went down, he got up and came back.
“Maybe I could have done more after he was knocked down.”
