World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua expects his title defence against Russian Alexander Povetkin on Saturday to be his toughest fight since Wladimir Klitschko - and to end with a similar outcome. Joshua, 28, knocked out Ukrainian Klitschko at Wembley in April 2017 and the 2012 Olympic champion is returning to the national stadium for the first time since that bout for his 22nd professional fight. Showdown: Britain's Anthony Joshua (left) and Russia's Alexander Povetkin (right) pose ahead of their fight at Wembley. Credit:AP Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic super-heavyweight champion and WBA's mandatory challenger, lost to Klitschko in Moscow in 2013 - the only defeat in the 39-year-old's professional career to date. "We've been away for a while, we're back now with Alexander Povetkin," Joshua told a news conference. "And I'm expecting the same type of fight because ... I think we've both got a big heart and can dig deep.<doc-sep>Anthony Joshua defended his world heavyweight titles with a devastating knockout of Alexander Povetkin after overcoming an early onslaught from the Russian at Wembley. Book the repeats of Joshua vs Povetkin online here The British star blasted Povetkin to the canvas with a brutal assault in the seventh round and then floored the WBA mandatory challenger again to signal a sudden and dramatic ending to his 22nd professional victory. 1:01 Watch highlights of Joshua's KO win over Povetkin As he returned to the scene of his epic win over Wladimir Klitschko, there would be more moments of concern for Joshua as he was wobbled and hurt in the early rounds, only to once again show his battling spirit to become the first man to stop Povetkin. The rain-soaked stadium was lit up by pyrotechnics as Povetkin, decked out in a black robe, marched towards the ring, followed by the home favourite, whose entrance was announced by a rapper and raucous cheers from the huge crowd. Image: Joshua's arrival was heralded by fireworks But the battles cries turned to gasps at ringside in the first round as Joshua was staggered by a left hook from Povetkin, who had menacingly stalked through the opening few minutes. With blood dripping from Joshua's injured nose, Povetkin waited for another moment to pounce in the second and again found his range with a hurtful hook. Image: Povetkin stunned Joshua with an early attack Joshua's defences remained worryingly easy for Povetkin to penetrate in the third as he rammed in an overhand right, before ducking low to deliver a hook, but the Brit began to reply with crisp counters. A wayward elbow opened a cut over Povetkin's right eye in the fourth, briefly stalling his charge, and Joshua tried to force him onto the back foot with stinging jabs. Image: The world champion started to gain a foothold in the fight Povetkin would not be deterred easily and he unloaded hooks from either hand in the fifth, but Joshua used nimble footwork and his accurate left hand to neutralise the veteran in the sixth. After finally gaining the measure of his determined foe, Joshua would create an explosive finale to the fight in the following round. Image: Joshua stopped Povetkin in the seventh round A straight right hand sent shockwaves through the legs of Povetkin, and a left hook followed by a right sent him crashing to the canvas. Povetkin clambered upwards in a daze and Joshua delivered a succession of crunching shots to seal a stunning triumph.<doc-sep>Once you have subscribed we will use the email you provided to send you the newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter email. Ahead of Alexander Povetkin's mandatory world title fight against current heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, the Russian has looked back on his last world title attempt and revealed what went wrong. The Russian took on Wladimir Klitschko in 2013 for the world heavyweight title, but lost following a unanimous decision. In addition to this, Povetkin fell to the canvas on three seperate occasions. On the night, Povetkin said this: "Things didn't quite go as well as I wanted, but I never give up, "Of course, he was the better fighter, he's the best in the world, that's clear." Furthermore, this has been the Russian's only defeat within his professional career and currently possesses a record of 34 wins and 24 of these came from a knockout. Following the fight, Povetkin went onto say this: "What is there to explain? All I can say is that Klitschko was stronger than me. At that time, I was physically much weaker. "Tactically, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to give more, get close and fight. But you need to be able to do that and I didn't know how to." Joshua also took on Klitschko in recent times as the Ukrainian attempted to snatch the title from the Brit and become the four-time heavyweight world champion, which would have been a world record. However, AJ forced a stoppage in the 11th round in an epic bout between the two. Joshua and Klitschko both hit the canvas within the fight, but it was AJ in front of a Wembley crowd who retained his title. Nonetheless, it's fair to presume that Joshua didn't fight the same Ukrainian that Povetkin fought five years prior. Therefore, this could provide an interesting competition for the British fighter as there may be a genuine chance that AJ would have met his match. News Now - Sport News<doc-sep>Joshua vs Povetkin: Anthony Joshua shadowboxes during an open workout FREE for news on the biggest players and tournaments SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Joshua will defend his WBA Super, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles against the dangerous Russian at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. Povetkin, who has only tasted defeat once in his thirteen-year-long career, will present Joshua with one of the more difficult tests of his title reign. Twenty four men have felt the full force of the Olympic gold medalist’s knockout power, most recently Britain’s David Price. Despite possessing the ability to put any man to sleep, Povetkin is one of the more calm and calculated punchers in the heavyweight division, a fact Joshua is all too aware of. “He's patient. He doesn't really throw that many punches,” Joshua said of his upcoming opponent. “You know if I am fighting a tall geezer it is jab for jab. But with Povetkin he is waiting and then, suddenly, it's boom. “So it will be a real breaking down job. I can't give him any opportunities. I have to stand on his ground. “I know I can't stand off it because he will be waiting for me to come in and then he'll hit me. Joshua vs Povetkin: Anthony Joshua will defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin at Wembley I have to take him off his game, bully him a bit Anthony Joshua on his fight with Alexander Povetkin “I have to take him off his game, bully him a bit, and bam, hit him. And also use a tight guard so you are not giving anything away.” Povetkin’s sole loss of his career came at the hands of future hall-of-famer Wladimir Klitschko, who Joshua defeated in his last appearance at Wembley. Joshua was impressed by Klitschko’s savvy performance against ‘Sasha’ - in which he utilised his jab to full effect - but won’t be taking any pages out of the Ukrainian's book for this fight. “Klitschko done a phenomenal performance against him - imagine staying behind the jab the whole fight,” the Watford native said. “It's very difficult to do. But very smart. Joshua vs Povetkin: Anthony Joshua is expecting a tough fight against Alexander Povetkin “I think I will approach it differently and hopefully it pays off. Klitschko had time to develop - that is why he was able to do that. I am going to take a completely different approach.” He added: “Me and Klitschko are so different when I look up our resumes and our style of fighting and the opponents we were fighting at the same stage. “For me to compare myself to Klitschko I probably need another 10 fights before I say I am going to box like him. “In terms of experience, he went through a lot of tough fights and learning fights before he got to that stage before he could beat Povetkin behind that jab. I will try and do it but I am going to have to set a little bit more to put Povetkin in his place.” Joshua vs Povetkin: Anthony Joshua won't be taking a page out of Klitschko's book for this fight<doc-sep>
Povetkin challenges for Joshua’s titles at the age of 39 (Picture: Getty) Alexander Povetkin claims he feels no pressure as he prepares to take on Anthony Joshua at Wembley on Saturday night. The Russian challenges Joshua for his three world titles, in a fight that is being billed as Povetkin’s last chance to become a world champion again. Joshua welcomes Povetkin to his hometown, and will have mostly British 80,000 fans packed inside Wembley Stadium when the two heavyweights make their walk to the ring. Povetkin though is no stranger to the pressure cooker, and explained that after fighting, and losing, to Wladimir Klitschko 2013 in front of his own home fans, he is not worried about facing Joshua. ‘To be honest, I don’t think about it like that. I don’t feel under any pressure in that regard,’ Povetkin said reflecting on how he has changed since the Klitschko loss. ‘Yeah, perhaps there is more pressure to win on his shoulders. There’s a saying in Russia, you feel like the walls are closing in. ‘Psychologically I’m very stable. I don’t feel under any pressure. I’m very calm and I think Anthony is the same. ‘There was a lot more pressure on me for the Klitschko fight because I was at home. I felt a lot more pressure then than I do now. The walls were closing in on me.’ The loss to Klitschko came via a points decision, but Povetkin was put down three times in round seven and struggled to get close to the taller fighter. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Povetkin was unbeaten before that defeat, and his team had spent a significant amount of money to bring the championship fight to Russia. ‘I changed my team, I changed my attitude, I changed my training camp,’ Povetkin said. ‘I worked hard on my strengths and endurance because in the Klitschko fight, by the end of it, I was exhausted.’ Povetkin struggled to contend with Klitschko’s height, but the 39-year-old insists he has ‘no concerns’ about the 6ft 6in Joshua towering over him. Klitschko had a big height advantage over Povetkin, as will AJ (Picture: Getty) Joshua himself has downplayed the height advantage, and instead has focused on Povetkin’s pedigree as an Olympic champion. It’s an achievement Povetkin shares with AJ, but while Joshua was eager to turn pro, his opponent revealed he planned to give up boxing after the 2004 Olympics in Athens. ‘After the Olympics, I didn’t want to box anymore,’ Povetkin said. ‘We travelled around, opening gyms for combat sports, MMA and kickboxing. ‘I was not planning to be a professional fighter. But a year later I realised I missed it and I started boxing again as a pro.’ MORE : Anthony Joshua picks Oleksandr Usyk as boxing’s current pound-for-pound king