Anthony Joshua knocks Kubrat Pulev out in round 9 in successful return

Heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua returned to the ring for the first time in a little over a year against Kubrat Pulev and won by knockout.

Reigning IBF, IBO, WBO, and WBA heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua entered the ring for the first time in over a year against contender Kubrat Pulev. The atmosphere of a heavyweight title bout was in the air, and the champion came to fight.

The action took place at the SSE Arena in London, England, in front of a limited live audience of 1,000 fans rooting for their countryman Joshua. While they were small in number, they made their voices heard before the fight while singing “Sweet Caroline” before the fighters made their way to the ring.

Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) had to answer some questions coming into his showdown with Pulev. Would ring rust be a factor? Would he box or show the same killer instinct that he had before his lone loss to Andy Ruiz 2019? More importantly, how would his chin hold up against Pulev?

Joshua definitively answered all those questions.

Pulev (28-2, 14 KOs) only had one loss on his record coming into his title shot against Joshua. He lost in 2014 in his only other championship fight against Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko knocked him out in round 5. Joshua didn’t outdo Klitschko’s big finish, but it wasn’t due to a lack of trying.

For the first two rounds, Joshua stayed cautious and boxed on the outside. He tried to time Pulev with a right but looked hesitant to let his hands go.

Anthony Joshua looked impressive as he showed  multiple dimensions against Kubrat Pulev

That all changed in round 3.

Joshua turned up the heat on Pulev in a big way. He connected with consecutive massive right hands that badly hurt Pulev. Joshua kept up the pressure and tagged him with two right uppercuts. Pulev turned his back and ate another uppercut as he went down.

Pulev got up but hit that canvas against after absorbing more of Joshua’s uppercuts. Pulev got up and survived the round. Pulev took a dirty shot at Joshua after the bell but didn’t lose any points.

Joshua didn’t overextend himself in the following rounds. He kept his cool and continued to pump his jab and follow it up with right crosses and uppercuts.

Pulev recovered as Joshua relented with his attack. Joshua controlled the action and elected to box until round 7, when he found Pulev’s jaw with a succession of uppercuts, which Pulev took well.

Pulev didn’t take them well in round 9. Joshua hurt Pulev with a thunderous uppercut and put him down with a second. Pulev got up, but Joshua delivered a straight right hand to Pulev’s jaw that laid Pulev out.

Pulev couldn’t beat the count as Joshua won by a round 9 knockout. Joshua briefly exited the ring to converse with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was ringside but returned to thank the fans at center ring.

Joshua looked like a complete boxer against Pulev. He boxed, attacked, was patient, and devastating all at the same time. Most want to see Joshua against WBC champion Tyson Fury next, but Oleksandr Usyk is his mandatory challenger for the WBO belt.

Whoever Joshua fights next, it’s hard to imagine him being the underdog in any scenario.