Anthony Joshua result: Brit heavyweight champion suffered suspected broken nose before beating Carlos Takam by TKO in 10th round of the bloody brawl
Joshua won his 20th straight victory by knockout in controversial circumstances when the ref stopped brave Carlos Takam from fighting on sparking a chorus of boos from large parts of the 78,000 crowd at Cardiff's Principality Stadium
ANTHONY JOSHUA nose he has the heart of a champion after fighting through a broken hooter to retain his heavyweight titles.
And the manner of his victory will spread fear to the two rival champions standing in the way of him unifying the division.
After a technical fault meant the superstar walked to the ring in stony silence instead of the usual pyrotechnic spectacular, AJ put on a real show before winning in the 10th.
Reflecting on the controversial stoppage, which came as the champ was comfortably ahead on all three scorecards, Joshua slammed the decision to pull out his rival.
He said: "Well done to Takam for making the show, I have no interest in what officials say.
"Takam, it was a pleasure, I come to fight I don’t come to stand on the edge and make decisions.
"I think people want to see Takam unconscious on the floor, that’s what I am trying to get to but my nose feels broken and I could not breathe - it could have been a massive disaster.
“I will go and see a couple of top doctors and get it cracked back into place.";
AJ BLEEDS Anthony Joshua suffers suspected broken nose in Carlos Takam fight after being headbutted by his opponent
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Takam’s shot at a stunning upset came and went after Kubrat Pulev pulled out with injury and it looks the Bulgarian did the right thing after the Brit's latest showing.
Somehow, at 18st 2lb, he still manages to look like a Chippendale and bounces around the ring like a man half his size.
But Takam’s solid head put a dent in the night in round two he broke AJ’s hooter with an accidental head-butt.
In response, the Olympic golden boy fired off a couple of sickening shots that the Frenchman will never forget.
But the agony of breathing through a shattered snout – let alone boxing on for a further eight rounds and getting tagged by a 16-stone man on the battered beak - will not leave Joshua too soon either.
Even with his nose in pieces, he finished round three with a smile, the blood smeared across his face not ruining his night as he got into the flow of things.
Round 4 was when the fight really started, a scything right hook from Takam earned a furious reply as AJ whacked all the sweat and water off his slick bald head and into the Cardiff night air.
The challenger's eye was sliced open and the referee asked if he wanted to quit, blood was streaming down his face.
Joshua floored the bloody brawler for an eight count and he looked a spent force but was rescued by the shriek of the bell.
Takam’s team did they best to patch up their man but just seconds into the fifth round the gash was seeping again and Joshua was showing no mercy.
The fight was stopped so the doctor could inspect the wound but was allowed to resume with the Cameroon-born battler showing cojones the size of coconuts.
Every brief respite Takam had he used to paw at his cut, using his 16oz sponge of a glove to try to save his vision from the claret stream.
The gutsy challenger even had the audacity to egg Joshua on at one point, demanding he up the ante and attack him with even more force.
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Round six was hard on Takam a right hook threatened to take his beard clean off and Joshua was enjoying testing his freakish durability.
AJ does not get paid overtime and would have had his men out of Cardiff in 30 seconds if it was that easy.
Two French-African commentators at ringside went wild in the seventh when it seemed for a nano second that their man was going to hurl the apple cart over a cliff.
But every time the Brit seemed to lose ground in the contest, he fired off rasping combination punches that would put a horse to sleep.
In the eighth round, Joshua decided to test Takam’s trunk, battering his torso with hooks from both hands but his abs passed with flying colours.
The doc was back on the canvas to delay the ninth round with an exam on the cut but once again the referee was free to restart the action.
As in the Wladimir Klitschko fight, Joshua appeared to tire in the later rounds but carrying 18 stone around and punching away at a breeze block of a man will do that.
A fizzing left hook ended the ninth but the immovable object in the red corner was not for stopping and the championship rounds beckoned.
A haze of bodily fluids shot from Takam in the tenth and a flurry followed before the Welsh referee upset the neighbours by jumping in.
Takam was rescued but was gutted and 78,000 fans agreed that the blood-soaked hero had earned the right to take the show to the wire.
Joshua thanks the indoor record crowd before announcing his future plans.
He added: "Cardiff thank you for coming out this evening.
“In 2018 I need to get my nose cracked back into place No1.
"Next we have London, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Las Vegas. Let's keep boxing in the UK."
Eddie Hearn added: “AJ wants the belts. Deontay Wilder versus AJ has to happen.
“There’s also a heavyweight called Tyson Fury who has to come back to the sport.
“AJ will give you the fights that you want, I promise you that. Wilder, Fury, Parker are the 2018 fights.
“I don’t think we should go abroad, I think we should stay right here.
“Deontay will be relieved of his belt in 2018 by Joshua.”