The Five Biggest Anthony Joshua Knockouts

On Saturday, December 23, the “Day of Reckoning” will be here, and it looks set to be one of the best fight cards in the history of boxing. The card will be co-headlined by Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) vs. Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker. In preparation for this historic fight card, we have heard from a confident Wallin, who said: “I think he’s (Joshua) on his way out.“ You can also check out our full preview and prediction for Joshua vs. Wallin.

As we build up to fight night, we are bringing you the five biggest Anthony Joshua knockouts.

Top 5 Anthony Joshua Knockouts

Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko

In front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017, Anthony Joshua entered the ring to face heavyweight legend Wladimir Klitschko. The fight was a cautious one, in the opening four rounds, amidst a raucous atmosphere. In round five, it burst into life, with AJ throwing a flurry of heavy-handed punches, forcing the Ukrainian fighter to the canvas. 

Klitschko beat the count and controlled the rest of the round, hurting the British fighter with the cleaner punches. In the following round, Klitschko scored his own knockdown but couldn’t force a stoppage, and the following rounds were more cautious, which suited Joshua. Round eleven will go down in heavyweight boxing history, as Joshua pounced on the Ukrainian and knocked him down again. Before the first knockdown, AJ landed an explosive uppercut, which the Ukrainian somehow absorbed. The British fighter pounced after the first knockdown and under a flurry of punches, forced the historic stoppage.

Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou

AJ took on the fearsome ex-UFC fighter Francis Ngannou on March 8, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh. After a quiet opening to the fight, Joshua floored Francis Ngannou with a straight right hand, leaving the Cameroonian stunned. Despite beating the count, the end was near.

Round two was ultimately a step too far for Ngannou as AJ scored another knockdown, and despite beating the count, AJ smelt blood and detonated a monster right hand that folded Ngannou and forced the referee Ricky Gonzalez to wave off the fight immediately.

Dillian Whyte

Back on December 12, 2015, Joshua encountered his first acid test as a professional, and it was against his old amateur rival Dillian Whyte. He had defeated AJ back in 2009 in the amateur ranks. The build-up was full of plenty of trash talk, with both fighters making it clear they didn’t like each other.

Whyte wobbled Joshua in the second round, testing AJ for the first time in his professional career. He came through that test, rocking Whyte with a right hook in round seven – and brutally stopping his bitter rival with a devastating uppercut for the TKO win.

Dominic Breazeale

In 2016, Joshua defended his IBF strap against Dominic Breazeale, who was 17-0 and came to the 02 Arena full of confidence. The American is 6ft 7 inches tall and offered a different kind of opponent to AJ with a weight and height advantage.

The Brit was in no mood to be bullied and started strong and let his hands go early in the fight, and you could see Breazeale was feeling these punches. Joshua dominated Breazeale from start to finish, landing eye-catching combinations and earning the constant roar of approval from the packed crowd. The stoppage came in round seven, where Joshua stunned his American opponent and put him down with a straight right hand. But the Watford-born fighter pounced again and unloaded a barrage of heavy punches, forcing referee Howard Foster to step in and stop the fight. It was a calculated and impressive stoppage from AJ.

Charles Martin

Before the victory over Breazeale, Joshua faced Charles Martin at the 02 Arena in London. It was to prove a memorable night in the career of AJ. The American travelled to England as the IBF heavyweight champion after defeating Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant title in January 2016.

Joshua quickly set the pace and controlled the distance well with his southpaw opponent. AJ showcased his power, sending Martin to the canvas in only the second round. The champion got to his feet, only to be floored again by the determined Brit. The American couldn’t beat the count – with AJ winning the IBF crown, destroying Martin in the process.