Former Finchley boxer Anthony Joshua continued the unbeaten start to his professional career by stopping Konstantin Airich in three rounds on Saturday - the furthest he has been taken to date.

The 24-year-old heavyweight was at his ruthless best at the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, knocking the 35-year-old German (21-10-2) down in the third round before referee Steve Gray stepped in to halt the bout.

After finding his range in the opening round, Joshua moved up a gear in the second and landed a left hook before putting together some telling combinations.

Facing the third round for the first time in his career, Joshua had Airich against the ropes following a big right hand, before a flurry of shots saw Gray end the contest.

Reflecting on the win, the Olympic gold medallist told Sky Sports it was only a matter of time before he overcame the Kazakhstan-born German.

He said: "It’s all about experience at this level. We are stepping up so there’s no point in rushing things and doing the same old thing like four or five fights ago.

"I wanted to go eight rounds because he’s durable. Some shots that I hit him with, some opponents that I’ve boxed, no disrespect, would have gone out in the second but he stood up and took some good shots.

"But it’s only a matter of time in boxing if you keep getting hit by big shots and that’s what I was doing, changing the angle, changing the power of my shots and I caught him with a peach of a punch."

Attentions now turn to Joshua’s first title fight against Denis Baktov (38-9) at the O2 Arena on October 11, with the WBC International heavyweight title on the line.