Anthony Joshua knocked out Kubrat Pulev in spectacular style in the ninth round to clear the way for a £100million super-fight with Tyson Fury.
Floyd Mayweather was among the lucky 1,000 crowd inside The SSE Arena, Wembley, to witness Joshua’s triumphant homecoming after more than two years fighting outside Britain.
Joshua floored Pulev in the third and again in the ninth before delivering a showreel right hand to finish the Bulgarian and the fight.
The WBA, IBF and WBO champ claimed he is ready for a massive clash with WBC king Fury for the undisputed world heavyweight.
“I’m ready for anything,” he said. “Less talk, more action.
“I started in 2013 and have been chasing all the belts and handling all the mandatories. Whoever has the belt I will compete with them. If that’s Tyson Fury, then let it be Tyson Fury.
(Image: Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing)
“I’m just picking them off one-by-one.”
The finish was the perfect way for Joshua to defend his belts before hopefully facing Fury in what would be the biggest fight in British boxing history.
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum have drafted up the fight contract and hope to announce the showdown for late May or June within days.
Joshua stuck to the gameplan to start cautiously behind the jab and he landed a couple to edge the cagey first round.
He continued to out jab Pulev before he unloaded on him with a flurry of clubbing hooks in the second and the Bulgarian smiled at him to say he wasn’t hurt.
The fight exploded into life in the third when Joshua detonated a huge overhand right on Pulev to stun him.
He immediately jumped on Pulev and the IBF mandatory challenger laughed to try and show he was fine.
(Image: Pool via REUTERS)
But he turned his back on Joshua as the blows continued and referee Deon Dwarte gave him an eight count as one of his team tried to vault the security barriers to get to his corner.
Pulev was in trouble and Joshua floored him to force him to take another eight count before he managed to hang on for the bell – just.
Joshua hurt Pulev with another right in the fifth only for the Eastern European to quickly regain his composure and land his right in the sixth.
Joshua continued to control the fight behind his jab and jumped on Pulev in the seventh when he sensed an opening as he landed a couple of uppercuts.
Pulev showed he was far from finished when he landed a stiff right at the end of the seventh and his late dad, who introduced him to boxing, would have been proud of his warrior-like display.
Joshua landed a couple more uppercuts before unleashing a stinging right hand to put Pulev down. He gamely got up, only for Joshua to knock him out with a tremendous right.
Pulev had no chance of getting up and Dwarte counted him out after two minutes and 58 seconds in a spectacular finish to the contest.
