On this day in 2017, Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko stepped into the ring at Wembley Stadium. At the time, Joshua was the unbeaten champion, 18-0 with 18 knockouts, seen as the rising force of the new era. Across from him stood Klitschko, the long-reigning former king, returning at 41 years old after his loss to Tyson Fury. For many, it felt like a passing-of-the-torch moment. Few expected just how dramatic it would become.
In front of 90,000 fans, the fight quickly turned into something else.
Joshua dropped Klitschko first, but instead of fading, the veteran came back and put Joshua down in the following round. What looked like a controlled transition suddenly became a battle of survival, with both men forced to dig deeper than expected. Momentum swung back and forth, and for several rounds, it wasn’t clear who was in control.
Then came the eleventh.
Joshua found another gear, dropping Klitschko twice before forcing the stoppage in one of the most memorable finishes of the modern heavyweight era. The fight was later named Fight of the Year, and rightly so. It had everything - power, knockdowns, tension, and a sense that the division was alive again.
Watch Joshua vs. Klitschko full fight: Watch
Image Credit: Sky Sports