Joshua defeats Brinjar by knockout and approaches a fight with Fury

SadaNews - Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua survived a fierce attack in the first round and defeated Albanian Christian Brinjar by knockout, paving the way for his much-anticipated match against fellow Briton Tyson Fury.

In his first fight since the death of two close friends in a car accident in Nigeria last December, in which he himself was injured, Joshua was knocked down by a powerful right hand in the first 30 seconds of the match held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and as he fell to the ground at the end of the first round, the referee counted again.

Joshua managed to hold on until the end of the round and then unleashed all his strength in the second round, where he launched a series of powerful punches with his right hand that sent Brinjar against the ropes, and the Albanian boxer could not recover, prompting the referee to stop the match.

Joshua told reporters: "He (Brinjar) is a fierce and strong fighter who put me through a tough test, but that’s what champions do, we get up man, we fall and then we get up and keep going. That’s life."

Fury defeated Polish Mariusz Wach in Thailand last Friday in a match that was not broadcast live on television, where Wach (46 years old) withdrew from his corner before the eighth round.

Joshua's victory opened the door for a match between the two Britons that was agreed upon to take place later this year.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said: "We signed the contract and it’s all done, but to be honest with you, last night was about the strength he showed just by being here and the strength he had to show in that match."

He added: "When you get knocked down twice in the first round and it looks like your career is over, he had to dig down again to get up and keep fighting."

Source: Reuters