Nigerian-born Anthony Joshua has beaten Wladimir Klitschko with an 11th round stoppage in a thrilling heavyweight title fight in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley.
Both fighters were on the brink of defeat at various stages, with Joshua recovering from a knockdown that subdued him in the middle rounds to steady the ship and stop the Ukrainian.
Klitschko, 41, defied many who believed he would be steamrollered in the early rounds by his younger opponent, and held off the Briton behind his jab.
Joshua found his mark with a ferocious flurry in the fifth that sent Klitschko to the canvas, but the experienced former champion held on to the bell.
Remarkably, he came back with a right hook of his own in the sixth to knock down the British fighter, who then himself appeared seconds from defeat.
A difficult few rounds followed for the 2012 Olympic champion as he threw little back and looked to be seconds from an against-the-odds defeat.
“What can I say? 19-0, three and a half years in the game. As I said, I’m not perfect but I’m trying and if you don’t take part you’re going to fail,” said Joshua.
“As boxing states, you leave your ego at the door and you respect your opponent. So a massive shout out to Wladimir Klitschko.”
Tributes were quickly paid to both men.
“How much heart did @Klitschko show in this fight? Gotta respect it. Hold ur head high brother! #joshuaklitschko,” tweeted Britain’s Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight champion sitting ringside.
US legend Sugar Ray Leonard added also on Twitter: “Such an amazing fight with 2 great fighters. Lot of heart by both fighters. A lot of questions answered by @anthonyfjoshua #JoshuaKlitchsko.”- Agency Report, Sky News.
