It may have been a little more difficult than most expected, but Anthony Joshua got the job done in Cardiff on Saturday night.
Carlos Takam - taking a world title fight on 12 days notice - was a game opponent as he took everything Joshua had to throw at him before the referee stopped him on his feet in the 10th round, but considering things looked to be over as early as the 4th due to a nasty cut above his eye, the French fighter earned a lot of respect from those watching as he refused to give up.
It wasn't all easy for Joshua, as he sustained a suspected broken nose from a clash of heads in the 2nd round, but he had too much for Takam and just as it looked as though he was going to be taken through the full 12 rounds he managed to secure the stoppage.
In the end, it was a shame that Takam was not allowed to complete the fight.
Stoppage came way too early, shocking decision from the ref. #JoshuaTakam pic.twitter.com/wx3jCPyjCx
— Ryan (@Vintage_Utd) October 28, 2017
Takam understandably upset with the decision, but he earned a lot of new fans regardless.
A gutsy performance, but Anthony Joshua was a well-deserved winner in the first defence of his heavyweight titles. Now, get an ice pack on that nose, AJ.
