Anthony Joshua DESTROYS Dominic Breazeale in 7th Round – Boxing News

By Dave “Madcap” Mroczek

Anthony Joshua passed another major test yesterday evening by defeating rugged challenger Dominic Breazeale with a seventh round knockout.. Joshua is the IBF heavyweight champion. While no one will mistake him just yet for the true heavyweight champion of the world, a distinction owned by fellow countryman Tyson Fury, he is certainly on the fast track into the conversation.

Breazeale was in tough from the start. No one gave him any chance of winning this fight, and to be clear he never threatened to actually do so at any time during the fight. But Breazeale is a tough customer, and proved he has the heart, and the stomach, to stand in there in a tough prize fight. Not many would have chosen him to last past the second round. Breazeale was able to hang around for a lot longer than that.

Hanging in there and winning are two different things. Joshua’s skill level was clearly miles beyond what Breazeale had to offer. His punches slashed in with speed and accuracy, landing basically at will while Dominic struggled to get off an attack of his own. From the opening bell it was clear who was in control here, Johsua’s power snapped his opponents head back regularly, leaving him hanging on to survive. All Breazeale could muster was a few pawing shots that seemed to be in slow motion compared to Joshua’s slashing combinations.

By the seventh round it was clear that Breazeale’s chances had gone the way of the dodo. The sustained hammering Joshua was giving him had taken his toll, and finally after some punishing work Dominic was sent to the canvas. While he would rise gamely, he would be deposited almost immediately again into a slumped heap in the corner, this time the referee calling a stop to the contest.

Where can these men go from here? Joshua of course is the brightest rising star of the heavyweight division. There’s not much to dislike about this guy. His punches are fast and powerful, and most of all accurate. He seems to have done his homework and he knows how to set his man up, all the while fighting at a measured pace and remaining patient. All the very best prizefighters in history know how to break their opponent down over the course of a fight without over extending themselves, and Anthony is no exception. He looks like the best thing to come along in heavyweight boxing for a long time. He will surely continue to work his way up and make his mark at the very top.

Breazeale is still good too, fans. He’s just not on the top level. While he showed toughness and resolve in this one he also showed a deficiency in skill that will prevent him from competing at the top ten level. If he can be matched against fighters who are in that top ten to twenty range he will be able to have many more interesting fights in his career. A fight like this shows that he does have some quality, and fans would be glad to see him again in a more evenly matched contest.

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