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| Photo Credit:Nick Potts/PA Wire |
Joshua would get his 20th stoppage win and maintain his perfect knockout percentage, but the tough Takam was far better than most expected in taking Joshua into round ten before the referee made what most observers saw as somewhat of a quick stoppage.
I had Joshua ahead 90-80 after nine rounds, winning every round, knocking Takam down in the fourth, which was the same round that a Joshua right hand badly sliced open the right eye of the Cameroon native fighting out of France and controlling the bout.
However, it wasn't all good news for Joshua asTakam was a true warrior that landed some shots on Joshua and never stopped trying to win.
Takam's best shot though came in round two when a headbutt broke Joshua's nose.
It was the type of fight that young champions need to go through.
Not every challenger is going to fall to the mat, no matter how limited or how qualified and it's good for Joshua, who still needs to develop a bit as a finished product.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has Joshua fighting three times and named WBC champ Deontay Wilder and WBO titlist Joseph Parker as likely fights (I'll believe that when I see as handlers for both fighters have been less than grandiose in matching their fighters tough) and former champion Tyson Fury, who I'm dubious will ever fight again.
Somewhere will have to be a WBA mandatory and that organization has sanctioned the winner of an Alexander Povetkin-Christian Hammer fight as the next mandatory from their group.
Considering Povetkin being the likely winner of that fight and his history with PED"s (Popped twice), Joshua might have time to fight three times before a WBA mandatory fight.
Hammer has two recognizable wins in the last five years over American journeyman Kevin Johnson and soft-jawed Brit David Price, so I'm doubtful he defeats the skilled yet troubled Povetkin.
On the undercard without American television and as of now, no Youtube.
Kal Yafai retained his WBA junior bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over mandatory challenger Sho Ishida.
Yafai is rumored to be part of the next HBO "Superfly II" card defending against Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez.
Former Joshua foe Dillion Whyte won a unanimous decision over Finland's Robert Helenius.
Whyte is a rumored possible opponent for Deontay Wilder, should Wilder get by Bermane Stiverne next Saturday on Showtime.
Ramon Malpica each earned five points on the weekend-Two each for the wins by Anthony Joshua and Kal Yafai with one for the Dillion Whyte win...
The total stands at 159-142
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