Anthony Joshua remains the man to beat in heavyweight boxing after defeating Alexander Povetkin.

The English fighter overcame a tough start to win by TKO in the seventh round.

Joshua paid tribute to Povetkin's boxing ability after the bout.

"Povetkin is a very tough challenger, he proved that with good left hooks and counter punches," he said, per BBC Sport.

"I came in here to have fun, and give it my best. I knew he was strong to the head but weak to the body. I was just mixing it up.

"It could have been seven, maybe nine, maybe 12 rounds to get him out of there, but the ultimate aim was to be victorious.

"And I got my knockout streak back."

Joshua has matured into a fighter who can not only knockout his opponents, but also a fighter than can grind out victories.

The Watford born man was clearly not at his very best during the fight but managed to turn the fight around and claim victory.

David Haye was present at the fight and he made a great point following Joshua's victory.

He told iFL TV that Joshua 'showed something he’s never showed before' and claimed he would have lost the bout five fights ago.

“Anthony Joshua showed something he’s never really needed to show before,” He said.

“He rose to the occasion, waited for the opportunity, the jab to the body was killing Povetkin.

“It didn’t look much at the time but he wasn’t throwing the right hand for a reason, he wanted to save it. When the opportunity arose the chin was there and boom.

“This was the toughest fight for Anthony Joshua. If this fight happened five fights ago, Anthony Joshua would have probably lost.

“I don’t think he was physically in a place to beat this guy five fights ago but because his career has been structured in a way where he has gradually increased his competition, he was ready for it.

“It was a great performance against a tough guy. The class, the youth, the energy, the size.”

That's a very good point. Joshua has matured into a fighter who can win in any way possible and that was proven once again on Saturday night.

Like Haye said, he may well have lost that fight had it been a year or two earlier but he dug deep and earned victory.

Many will not consider his performance against Povetkin to be among the best of his career, but is should definitely go down as one of his best wins due to the adversity he overcame at the start of the fight.