09 March 2024 , 18:31
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Anthony Joshua has told Tyson Fury he is just a phone call away - while offering to fight him in his rival's back garden.
Joshua obliterated former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on Friday night, twice dropping his rival before knocking him out cold. The Brit is now in pole position to face the winner of Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk back in Saudi Arabia on May 18. Joshua, 34, is set to be ringside for the fight which will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
And he is ready to answer the call and finally realised his dream of holding all four belts. "In terms of Usyk and Fury I am only a phone call or a tweet away," he told Sky Sports. "I'll fight Fury in his back garden, it does not matter to me; whenever, whoever, it doesn’t matter to me."
Francis Ngannou was flattened by Anthony Joshua (Getty Images) But Fury warned Joshua he will have to wait a year for the all-British clash because he and Usyk will fight in May and again in October. "It's me and Usyk who fight for the No.1 and No.2 position and the undisputed championship of the world," he said.
"If Joshua fights me in the future after I'm done with Usyk twice next year, it'll be a different thing.
"There is quite a long way to go; it was a fantastic performance from AJ but I have bigger fish to fry. If we are both still available after my two fights with Usyk, let's get it on." If Fury and Usyk do honour their rematch clause, the undisputed champion could be stripped of the IBF belt. That would leave Joshua to fight Croatian Filip Hrgovic for the vacant belt before taking on Usyk or Fury early in 2025.
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Joshua, meanwhile, urged Ngannou not to quit boxing after he defeated the 37-year-old in just his second professional fight. “On the road to the championship, you should always stay focused,” Joshua told broadcaster DAZN. “I thought this was something for the broadcasters to get behind. When I saw the fight with Tyson Fury, I thought I want some of that. (Ngannou) is a great champion and this doesn’t take anything away from his capabilities. I told him not to leave boxing. He’s two fights in and he fought the best."