Anthony Joshua’s first defence of his WBA & IBF heavyweight titles against Carlos Takam in Cardiff rounded off an impressive year for the Briton.
Six months ago the Watford fighter showed real heart and determination to stop Vladimir Klitschko in the 11th round, becoming the first man in over 12 years to beat the Ukrainian inside the distance.
Before that bout at Wembley Stadium there were a lot of critics that wondered whether a fight against the former unified world heavyweight champion may be a step too far for Joshua but he adjusted brilliantly.
There were doubts about his capability of going the distance after only ever being taken to the seventh round during his professional career but he showed that he has the stamina to go into the latter stages.
Another test that Joshua had yet to face ahead of the Klitschko fight was his ability to respond after being knocked down.
Ever since introducing himself to the world as a professional boxer by despatching of Emanuele Leo in the first round the 28-year-old has looked far too quick and powerful with everyone that has shared a ring with him.
Nobody had been able to determine whether the Olympic gold medallist had the character to lift himself off the canvas and find a way to win a fight.
However that soon changed in April this year when Klitschko showed great resilience himself by recovering from a fifth-round knockdown before dropping Joshua in the next round, something which had never been done during his past 18 fights.
There was a period during the middle of that fight where it looked like Joshua’s perfect record may be lost but he responded in magnificent fashion, eventually stopping Klitschko with a devastating uppercut.
To come back and then stop an opponent who is vastly experienced and enjoyed total and utter domination in heavyweight boxing made everyone appreciate Joshua’s ability even more.
After overcoming that huge challenge his next bout was all about how he would cope with the added pressure of being the unified world champion.
The age old saying about it being more difficult to stay on top than reaching the summit has rung true for many sportspeople over the years and now Joshua was about to undergo the same battle.
Added in to the mix was a last-minute change of opponent as Takam stepped in to replace the injured Kubrat Pulev.
After training for a much taller opponent he was suddenly faced with the prospect of a fighter who was several inches smaller and had a completely different style.
Despite the lack of time to prepare for the contrasting challenger Joshua once again demonstrated great adaptability, battling on despite badly damaging his nose in the second round and eventually finding a 20th successive knockout.
Takam has built a reputation for being a really tough opponent, so for Joshua to become just the second man in 40 fights to stop him was another key indicator of his development in the ring.
There may still be a lot he has to learn but 2017 has seen him make a dramatic improvement in various aspects of his craft which will only benefit his mission to hold all four heavyweight titles.
