Anthony Joshua dominates as Otto Wallin's corner stops fight - ESPN

Anthony Joshua's slow reboot of his career is complete after a sharp display forced Otto Wallin's corner to stop the fight after a punishing fifth round Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joshua, a former world heavyweight champion, was full of menace and back to his destructive best as he broke down Wallin, whose corner threw in the towel before the start of the sixth round.

Joshua, 34, was more aggressive than he was in the early rounds of his previous bout against Robert Helenius in August, and after a sharp start, he left Wallin busted up to the nose and eyes.

Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), who lives in North London, and Deontay Wilder were on a collision course for a megafight on March 9, but those plans were ruined by Wilder's feeble display and lopsided defeat by Joseph Parker earlier on the card.

But big things are still on the horizon for Joshua in 2024. The IBF world title could become vacant after the undisputed title showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on Feb. 17, and Joshua is likely to fight for it against Croatia's Filip Hrgovic, who also fought on the undercard Saturday and registered an easy win.

Joshua was moody in media interviews over the past week and admitted «there is no future» if he failed to beat Wallin.

But he emphatically quashed theories that he is unravelling under pressure and expectations. Joshua is on a mission to become a three-time world champion, and his third win since a second consecutive points loss to Usyk in a world title fight in 2022 continues his upward curve.

«Throughout the buildup, I was telling everyone I had to focus on the man in front of me,» Joshua said in the ring afterward. «Not so much a throwback fight but another day at the office. The corner