Anthony Joshua avoided a broken nose but was left to reflect upon the stains of battle after a 10th-round stoppage of Carlos Takam in Cardiff to retain his WBA, IBO and IBF heavyweight titles.

Joshua is the handsome and handsomely remunerated poster boy of boxing's glamour division but Saturday's fight at a sold-out Principality Stadium in Cardiff offered a stark demonstration of the punishing brutality at play when the sport's big men collide.

It was a collision with the top of Takam's head that caused Joshua grief in the second round, his nose oozing blood over his mouth by the end of the session.

The 28-year-old, whose perfect professional record now stands at 20 fights and 20 knockouts, told a post-fight news conference his nose was "busted" rather than fractured and insisted he viewed the blow against Takam's skull to be accidental.

Large sections of the 78,000 crowd - a world record for an indoor boxing event - booed referee Phil Edwards for sparking Takam from his own bravery, with the Cameroon-born Frenchman visibly frustrated not to have seen the final bell.

Joshua now has 20 stoppage wins from as many professional fights and acknowledges that explosive record prompts a certain element of bloodlust among his adoring public.

Promoter Eddie Hearn is open to those prospective bouts taking place overseas, with Las Vegas calling for boxing's newest star attraction.

Hearn also conceded the 78,000 gathered at the Principality Stadium, following the 90,000 at Wembley who watched Joshua's incredible win over Klitschko in April, make a compelling case to stay on home soil.

"To go to another country in a 4,000 [capacity] arena just for a little bit more money... AJ has always wanted to put on shows, inside and outside the ring, and there isn't a show like an Anthony Joshua show in world boxing," he said. "We don't really want to walk away from that."