Although the withdrawal of Kubrat Pulev initially put the fight against Anthony Joshua in jeopardy, the night of October 28 in Cardiff produced a brilliant showdown between the Brit and Carlos Takam, who matched his rival, despite only agreeing to the fight on a 12-day notice.The 78,000 crowd at the Principality Stadium witnessed two giants going head-to-head for glory, and it was the unified champion who ultimately reigned supreme.The bout lasted 10 rounds, and it was then when a thunderous uppercut and a head blow to Takam forced referee Phil Edwards to intervene and end the contest, handing yet another scalp for Joshua via TKO.The Brit was in control throughout and inspite of sustaining a suspected broken nose in round two, continued to retaliate, resulting in him outlasting his counterpart at the end of a brutal battle.The decision of the match official has come under intense scrutiny by the boxing faithful, who voiced their opinions on social media platforms to state that the fight should have gone the distance.One of the prominent names that has surfaced to contradict the verdict of the referee is that of footballer Joey Barton.He took to Twitter, indicating that one needs to acknowledge the sport and not deny the spectators of a dramatic conclusion to an impressive bout.Barton wrote: “Bad stoppage that. It's boxing ffs. Let the man fight.”

The former Premier League star himself is known to be a controversial figure, and often resorted to indiscipline and misconduct on the pitch throughout his entire career.

Echoing his emotions were several others, with promoter and retired fighter Barry McGuigan and former two-weight world champion Carl Frompton, also agreeing the judgement of the referee was premature.

Nonetheless, maintaining his 100% win record all through knockouts, Joshua will channelise the experience of this campaign in the right way as he aims for more high-profile encounters against the likes of Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, or Tyson Fury.