On This Day in 2017: Anthony Joshua wins thriller against Wladimir Klitschko
Both men hit the canvas in the middle rounds before Joshua roared back to win with an 11th-round knockout.
Anthony Joshua got off the canvas to beat Wladimir Klitschko in a classic world heavyweight title contest on this day in 2017.
Roared on by the majority of the 90,000 crowd at a packed Wembley Stadium, the Briton recovered from a knockdown in the sixth round to stop the Ukrainian great in the 11th.
The then 27-year-old’s victory, which heralded the start of a new era in the heavyweight division, saw him add the WBA belt to his IBF crown.
The 41-year-old recovered to put Joshua down, for the first time in his career, in the next but the younger man hit back in brutal fashion to drop Klitschko for a second time in the 11th.
Klitschko regained his feet but was felled again by a left hook and referee David Fields intervened to stop the contest moments after his next attempt to continue.
“I came out and I won,” said Joshua. “I didn’t go into the slugfest, I came back and fought my heart out.
“Boxing is about character. As I said from the get-go, it will be a boxing classic.”
He said: “It was really sad I didn’t make it. I was planning to do it, it didn’t work – but all respect to Anthony.
“I thought he wouldn’t get up, he managed to get up. Respect.”
