Joshua rocked Klitschko, 41, with a vicious right uppercut and sent him down with a flurry that followed. Klitschko was knocked down a second time after a combination against the ropes, but he continued to fight back despite being hurt until referee David Fields jumped in to rescue him as Joshua was teeing off.
"Both fighters gave their best. The best man won tonight, and it's amazing event for boxing," Klitschko said. "Two gentlemen fought each other. Anthony was better today than I. It's really sad that I didn't make it tonight. I was planning to do it. It didn't work. But all the respect to Anthony and congratulations."
Klitschko put forth an incredibly gutsy performance despite proving unsuccessful in joining Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield as the only men to win the heavyweight title three times. But he redeemed himself from his lifeless loss to Tyson Fury in 2015, which ended his 10-year reign on the division, one that included 18 consecutive title defenses.
After getting up from a knockdown in Round 5 with blood trickling from a cut above his left eye, Klitschko rallied to put Joshua on his heels to close the round. In Round 6, with Joshua beginning to fade, Klitschko caught with a right hand from distance that knocked him down for the first time in his career.
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