Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin was a professional boxing match contested on 22 September 2018, for the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight championship.

[4] During this time, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, was also attempting to negotiate an undisputed fight with WBC champion Deontay Wilder, offering him $15 million to face Joshua at Wembley which Wilder agreed to however co-manager Shelly Finkel refused to return the contact.

The card opened with 2016 Olympic silver medalist Shakhram Giyasov (WBA:14th) stopping Julio Laguna in the 4th round.

This was followed by unbeaten Russian Sergey Kuzmin (WBC:20th) facing former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price.

[9][10] The 3rd bout of the night saw Matty Askin (WBC:15th) defend his British cruiserweight title against former Commonwealth champion Lawrence Okolie (WBA:15th WBC:29th).

[13][14][15] The chief support saw former world title challenger Luke Campbell (WBC:2nd) have a rematch with the first boxer to defeat him Yvan Mendy (WBC:1st) in a WBC lightweight final eliminator.

After a tentative start to the opening round which saw neither fighter land significant punches, Povetkin landed a three-punch combination ending with a left hook in the final seconds of the round, momentarily stunning Joshua and leaving the champion with a broken and bloodied nose.

The action picked up in the second, with Povetkin landing hooks to the head and body at close range while Joshua, opting to fight at a distance to utilise his height and reach advantage, landed jabs and straight-right hands to the head and body.

Rounds three through six saw much of the same; Povetkin finding success up close with hooks and Joshua with jabs and straight right hands at range.

Povetkin rose to his feet before the referee's count of ten, only to be met by a flurry of punches while against the ropes, prompting referee Steve Gray to wave off the fight, at 1 minute and 59 seconds into the round, after which Povetkin stumbled and fell to the canvas for a second time.

Less than 24 hours before the first bell Wilder had signed to challenge Lineal champion Tyson Fury who had ended a 2 and a half years absence from the ring in June.

[25] Joshua's performance was praised as perhaps his best so far with BBC Sport's boxing correspondent Mike Costello saying "It was a brilliantly placed and timed right hand.