Anthony Joshua burst on to the heavyweight scene in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in 2014.
AJ is one of British boxing’s most iconic figures in the modern era, having achieved it all as an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time heavyweight world champion.
Joshua went on a superb winning streak after turning over as a professional following his success at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
He won his first five fights in short stoppages, and was developing a fearsome reputation as a ferocious puncher.
The biggest opportunity of his career came on the undercard of Carl Froch and George Groves’ famous 2014 rematch.
It broke records as 80,000 packed into Wembley Stadium for the event, with Joshua getting a unique chance to impress on the undercard.
And he did more than impress against journeyman Matt Legg who leapt at the opportunity to take on the sport’s latest rising star.
But it was a devastating barrage of blows that saw his name on the tip of the watching fans tongues.
He first teed off with two shots that were largely blocked by Legg’s covered card.
Although a crunching uppercut found the mark crashing into the skull of the helpless Legg.
It sent him crumpling to the former Olympian’s feet as he fell flat on his back, the latest victim of the crazy power.
The referee waved off the contest with Legg clearly out of his depth, making it the fastest KO of the champion’s career to this date.
It took him just one minute and 56 seconds to halt the contest, and it is no wonder he developed into a real fan favourite globally.
Legg described how the fight came about, being paid £8,000 for the clash with the future king.
He said: “My manager called up and said ‘Anthony Joshua’s team have offered the AJ fight, at Wembley Stadium on the Carl Froch-George Groves rematch. I went ‘100 per cent I’ll take it.’
“I would have done it for free. If they’d have said ‘the thing is you’ve got to do it for nothing’, I’d have went ‘alright’.
“Because it was an opportunity to fight on a massive show. At the time it was the biggest show in Britain, so I said ‘yeah I’ll do it’.
“I think I had about six or seven weeks to train for it. Eight grand, but the bloke before me got four.
“Eight grand but I got some sponsorship money so altogether about 11.”
Joshua continued on his KO streak becoming one of the sport’s biggest stars in the process.
He first won his world title in his 15th consecutive KO, before unifying the division in a famous clash with Wladimir Klitschko.
It was the famous uppercut that sent Klitschko into oblivion in that famous night at the same venue three years later.
Joshua’s KO rampage was eventually halted after 20 fights by Joseph Parker, and he has since faced adversity.
He has lost to Andy Ruiz Jr, Oleksandr Usyk and most recently was brutally knocked out by Daniel Dubois.
But he remains one of the most notorious profiles in the sport, and has a few years left to embark on his heavyweight journey before retirement.
The 35-year-old is still eyeing famous nights and a shot at becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion.
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