Anthony Joshua defended his WBA and IBF heavyweight titles against Carlos Takam on October 28th. It was a fairly one-sided bout, but not one that was without problems for Joshua. He eventually took the victory in the 10th round when the referee stopped the fight, a decision that critics say was unfair and premature. It was Joshua’s 20th win, and the fourth time he has successful defended his titles, which leaves fans wondering, who will make a worthy opponent?
The fight took place at the Principality Stadium in Wales, in front of a record-breaking indoor boxing crowd of 78,000 spectators. The original bill pitched Joshua against Kubrat Pulev, but the Bulgarian pulled out of the fight with an injured shoulder. His replacement was 36-year-old Carlos Takem, and with just two weeks’ notice, it was up to both fighters to readjust.
Though the bout looked like it was Joshua’s for the taking, an accidental second-round head clash left doubts as to whether he might yet taste defeat. Joshua regained composure, and in a crucial fourth round, both fighters exchanged heavy blows; Takem suffered a badly-damaged eye in the exchange before being dropped to the ground by Joshua late in the round.
Takem’s damaged eye was to become a key factor in the rest of the match-up. It demanded the attention of medics an additional two times during the fight. Joshua was hitting hard, but Takem did manage to muster enough strength to cause Joshua some damage in the 7th round, before losing control again in the 8th and suffering another cut, this time to his left eye. Just as in the new PokerStars Power Up game, power requires energy to use, and Joshua knows this all too well in the ring. He looked ready to throw the knockout punch at any moment, even well into the later rounds.
Takem still did not give up, and he pulled it back somewhat in the 9th round, before Joshua regained control in the 10th round. But less than a minute and a half into the 10th round, the referee called the fight to an end, in a controversial decision that shook the audience. Takem was not out on his feet, despite earlier injuries, and he was still dodging blows well into the round.
Regardless of the legitimacy of the referee’s decision, Joshua still won every round on points, so there can be no doubt that the champion deserved his win. It is likely that the crowd was more angered by the fact that they didn’t get to see Takem get knocked out by their hero. The fans wanted the level of drama provided by Joshua during his last fight against Vladimir Klitschko back in April. Instead they got a solid performance with a bittersweet end.
Since winning the fight against Takem, Joshua has admitted that he would like to fight Tyson Fury, should the semi-retired boxer make it back into the ring. He says that the fight would work well for him, his promoter and the fans. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has even been “on the phone to Tyson, trying to make things happen and support his cause.” At the moment, though, on a championship level, Joshua’s next fight will likely be against Joseph Parker or Deontay Wilder.
