Tonight in Cardiff, in a fight that surpassed ALL expectations, IBF/WBA heavyweight ruler Anthony Joshua finally overcame an incredibly gutsy late Carlos Takam; a late replacement foe for the injured Kubrat Pulev.
The end came in the 10th round, as Takam, bleeding from both eyes, was under fire. Still, the stoppage angered Takam and a large section of the massive crowd who booed the stoppage decision from the British referee. Joshua is now 20-0(20). Takam falls to 35-4-1(27).
The chief support to the Joshua-Takam heavyweight title fight, between Dillian Whyte and Robert Helenius promised plenty but sadly delivered very little. Whyte did far more work than Helenius, who was content to box on the back-foot and basically survive.
After 12 frustrating rounds – frustrating for the fans and no doubt for Whyte – the Londoner won via lopsided scores of 119-109 twice and 118-110 .Whyte is now 22-1(16). Helenius of Finland falls to 25-2(16).
Undefeated and Unified Heavyweight World Champion Anthony Joshua stopped IBF mandatory challenger Carlos Takam in the 10th round on Saturday night at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, where the British sensation improved to 20 wins, all by knockout, and retained both his IBF and WBA world title belts.
Joshua vs. Takam was contested before a record 78,000 fans, the largest ever for an indoor boxing event and was the first of back-to-back heavyweight world title fights airing live on SHOWTIME. Next Saturday, Nov. 4, WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder headlines a three-fight telecast when he faces former world champion Bermane Stiverne at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
Tonight in Cardiff on the big Joshua-Takam card, WBA super-flyweight champ Kal Yafai retained his title with a wide 12 round UD over a somewhat reluctant Sho Ishida of Japan. The Birmingham man, making the second defence of the title he won back in December of last year, won by a wide (and accurate) score of 118-110 on one card and a too close 116-112 on the other two cards. Yafai is now 23-0(14). Ishida, who was having his first fight outside of his homeland, is now 24-1(13).
Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte (22-1, 16 KOs) labored to a 12 round unanimous decision over Robert Helenius (25-2, 16 KOs) to win the vacant WBC Silver heavyweight title on Saturday night at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
This was supposed to be a showcase fight for the 29-year-old Whyte. Instead, it turned out to be showcase of how technically flawed Whyte still is at this point in his career. Helenius, 33, highlighted the fact that Whyte cannot cut off the ring against an opponent that uses movement. Whyte also showed that he was unable to put his punches together in a sustained combination form.
Juergen Braehmer (49-3, 35 KOs) proved that he still has a lot left in the tank on Friday night in handing Rob “Bravo” Brant (22-1, 15 KOs) his first loss of his career in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision in the quarterfinals of the World Boxing Super Series tournament at the Sport-und- Kongresshalle in Schwerin, Germany.
As we are today, fans, most of them British, were getting ready for a heavyweight showdown in Cardiff, Wales back in October of 1993. Back then, Lennox Lewis was defending his WBC title (the one he had picked out of the garbage after Riddick Bowe unceremoniously placed it there rather than face Lewis in a return meeting of their 1988 Olympic clash) against British folk hero Frank Bruno.
In the main event on Saturday, Nov. 11, Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs battle undefeated Luis Arias in a twelve-round middleweight bout at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tomorrow’s fight is little more than a prelude to British boxer Anthony Joshua versus American Deontay Wilder. Perhaps the most exciting fight of tomorrow night is the one between The Finn, Robert Helenius against British-Jamaican, Dillian Whyte. Luckily for the boxing world Anthony Joshua, who boasts a 100% K.O ratio will be on American PPV as well. This is vital as it is building his notoriety in America and promoting an inevitable clash between Wilder and “AJ”.
Former unified light heavyweight world champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-2-1, 26 KOs) did a lot of soul-searching after his controversial loss to Andre “S.O.G” Ward over the summer in Las Vegas, Nevada. He traveled back to his home in Russia for several months with his wife, Natalia, and his son Aleksandr and even spent time meditating at a monastery in Greece. After months of contemplation, he decided it was time to sever his relationship with long-time trainer, John David Jackson.