Anthony Joshua says he is a ‘tweet away’ as he issued another challenge to Tyson Fury after knocking out Francis Ngannou; Joshua floored Ngannou three times to record a second-round stoppage of the former UFC heavyweight champion on Friday.
Anthony Joshua laid down another challenge to Tyson Fury as he insisted he will fight the WBC heavyweight champion ‘in his back garden’ after knocking out Francis Ngannou on Friday night.
The talk of the week in Saudi Arabia had been the prospective prize of a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s upcoming clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18, for which there is set to be a rematch.
Joshua wasted no time in reiterating his intentions to face the victor after flooring Ngannou in the second round, and on Saturday urged Fury to get in touch and make a deal for one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.
“For my career, I feel like wins are just left in the past, you can’t dwell on them too long because there’s always another challenge coming up,” Joshua said, while attending the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“I feel like a win just moves me onto not dwelling in my sorrows to much because a loss isn’t nice for anyone.
“And then in terms of Usyk and Fury, it’s really up to them. I’m only a phonecall away, even better, I’m only a tweet away. You can tweet me and we can make the deal, so it will happen.
“I do (respect them).”
Joshua and Fury have flirted with a potential ‘Battle of Britain’ on multiple occasions over the years, without a fight ever materialising between the heavyweight rivals. There is a feeling, though, that both now realise time is of the essence when it comes to delivering one of boxing’s most sought-after contests.
“I’ll fight him in his back garden, it doesn’t matter to me,” added Joshua. “I’m a fighting man, you know what I’m saying? Wherever, whenever, however – it doesn’t matter. As long as we deliver for the fans, that’s the main thing.”
Joshua has cut a rejuvenated figure over the past year having recorded emphatic stoppage wins over Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin before producing a knockout of the year contender against former UFC star Ngannou.
It comes in the wake of Joshua’s back-to-back defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022, which saw the former unified world champion relinquish his titles to the Ukrainian.
“I sat in a dark room for five days,” he said, when asked of what changed for him. “I went to the race in Texas, Austin. Before then I went to a dark room for five days, gathered my thoughts, took time away from the hustle and bustle.
“It’s good to sit alone sometimes to just figure out where you’re at in life and where you want to be, and it was really good actually, a really good experience.”
Joshua dropped Ngannou three times on the night, including a decisive right hand to finish it, to dispel any suggestions of a historic upset against the MMA man, who had sensationally knocked down Fury on his boxing debut back in October.
