'Beast mode': Anthony Joshua's knockout combo wows fans

Britain’s Anthony Joshua has overcome a slow start to deliver a devastating knockout in the seventh round to defeat Russian Alexander Povetkin.

Joshua retained his impressive WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight championship belts, and sent boxing fans into a frenzy.

In front of about 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, Joshua fought with a suspected broken nose from the second round to improve his unbeaten record to 22 wins, 21 wins inside the distance.

Joshua sent Povetkin to the canvas with a big right midway through the seventh and was unloading a flurry of punches to end the fight.

“Povetkin is a very tough challenger, he proved that tonight with good left hooks and counter punches,” Joshua said.

“I knew he was strong to the head but weak to the body. I was just mixing it up.

“It could have been seven, maybe nine, maybe 12 rounds to get him out of there but the ultimate aim was to be victorious.

“I got my knockout streak back.”

The loss was just the second of 39-year-old Povetkin’s 36-fight career – his only other defeat was to Wladimir Klitschko, who Joshua scored a TKO win over last year to claim three of his four world titles.

The fight is the first of a two-match deal Joshua has agreed to stage at Wembley, with the second due to take place in April next year.

“If I had a pecking order it would be Wilder, Dillian (Whyte) and then Fury,” Joshua told taskSPORT.

“Dillian deserves it more than Fury because he’s been consistent and Wilder because he’s the champion.”

However, his plan to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion may have to wait a little longer as WBC title holder Wilder announced earlier on Saturday a showdown with former world champion Fury on December 1 in the United States.

with AAP.