Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua endured a frustrating night before eventually stopping a resilient Carlos Takam and defending his IBF and WBA heavyweight titles in 10 rounds in Cardiff.
It seemed another routine win for Nigerian born British boxer, Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua as he extended his clean slate to 20-0. However, a closer look at the little details of the bout affirms that it was a difficult one for Anthony Joshua against Cameroonian born French boxer Carlos Takam. Three weeks ago, Carlos Takam was relatively unknown but his performance on the night has certainly enhanced his reputation in boxing and he will likely get more big fights in the future, despite being less than two months shy of his 37th birthday. So who is he?
Armand Carlos Nesting Takam is a former WBC Silver Heavyweight Champion, as an amateur, he represented his native country, Cameroon at the 2004 Olympics in the super
heavyweight category. Prior to his fight with AJ, he had 35 wins from 40 bouts with 27 KOs, 4 losses and a draw – hence, he was no pushover. Of great commendation is that he had only
two weeks’ notice to prepare and fight a unified heavyweight champion on a roll like Anthony Joshua, this depicts guts at its peak.
Guts were on display by both fighters and both proved that it is an essential feature of heavyweight boxing. Anthony Joshua showed his ability to rise from the dead once again as he recovered from an accidental clash of heads in the second round, which left him with a suspected broken nose and bloodied nose. Most boxers will struggle to find a rhythm especially as it was early in the bout but he recovered well to impose himself against Carlos Takam.
Carlos Takam, on the other hand, showed great character, courage and bravery throughout the bout as he received a pummelling from Anthony Joshua. He got knocked down in the 4th round and before the end of the 7th round had cuts over and around both eyes of his. His bravery to keep fighting despite being injured and sore is highly commendable and it depicts his great fighting spirit. One has to credit the ringside doctors for allowing him to continue in the bout, Takam showed great durability in hanging in there despite being hurt. Although the stoppage by the referee seemed controversial as Carlos Takam was still on his feet and had his hands up and still good to go, it was just a matter of time before AJ had his hands in the air as the overwhelming winner.
Speaking after the fight, Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua said:
“Takam, it was a pleasure. I come to fight, I don’t sit on the edge and make decisions. It was a good fight until the ref stopped it, so I have the utmost respect for Takam.
With Anthony Joshua’s camp talking of unification bouts in 2018 – Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker and Tyson Fury, so as to continue his dominance in the division, Anthony Joshua wil need all of his guts – that which saw him recover from his first career knockdown against Wladimir Klitschko, before romping to a devastating 11th round knockout triumph, his recovery from a suspected broken and bloodied nose to a 10th round stoppage against Carlos Takam as well as other aspects of his mental strengths which are unknown to us, as guts are the real deal.
Samson Oloyede Elprincipe for Omasports.com
Photo Credit: Standard.co.uk