Anthony Joshua reveals he wants to fight Deontay Wilder – not Tyson Fury – after his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk and claims the Bronze Bomber only fought the Gypsy King because he thought he’d be an ‘EASIER’ opponent
- Anthony Joshua triggered his rematch clause with Oleksandr Usyk after defeat
- Tyson Fury knocked out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their Vegas fight
- Joshua’s defeat put paid – for now – to an undisputed clash between the two Brits
- But AJ could now look to face the Bronze Bomber in the ring after his rematch
Anthony Joshua has confirmed he would be willing to fight Deontay Wilder after his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Brit is set to face Usyk in spring after triggering the rematch clause in his contract following the loss of his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles to the wily Ukrainian southpaw last month.
Joshua’s defeat to Usyk means a long-awaited, all-British undisputed with Fury is off the table, for the time being.
Anthony Joshua (left) lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (right)
The Gypsy King beat Wilder in their Las Vegas trilogy fight after coming back from a double knockdown to defend his title for the first time.
But, while all roads point towards a mouth-watering undisputed showdown against WBC champion Fury for the winner of the Joshua-Usyk rematch, AJ is considering taking on Fury’s former opponent before finally facing the Gypsy King himself.
‘If the fans can’t see I would take these fights with the fighters like Wilder in a heartbeat,’ Joshua told iFL TV.
Speaking to iFL TV, Joshua confirmed he would take a fight against Wilder ‘in a heartbeat’
‘And I want people to know that I would fight anyone in their prime or anytime.
‘Give me a mandatory and I will fight anyone, I love the game and will fight anyone.
‘I will take on any challenge providing politics aren’t an issue and the finances are there with these guys, people know what I am about.
‘I think Wilder fought (Tyson) Fury thinking it was going to be easier than his previous fights and got caught in a trilogy web.
Fury (right) retained his heavyweight title after defeating Wilder (left) in spectacular style
Wilder (centre) was knocked out by the Gypsy King in the 11th round of their trilogy bout
‘But would I fight Wilder, yes I would.’
Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel revealed that the Bronze Bomber would be interested in a fight with the Brit.
‘My gut says the big fights. It’s not on the drawing board now, but he would love to get Fury back again,’ he told The Sun.
‘It’s a massive fight [Wilder vs Joshua], no matter what happens in the Joshua – Usyk fight.’
Fury was disappointed after Usyk relieved Joshua of his belts leading to an undisputed bout being delayed.
‘Usyk did his job well and good luck to him. I’m not saying much about Joshua because I don’t like beating up on people when they’re down,’ Fury said.
‘Was I p***** that he lost before our big fight? Yes I was. But if he’s going to get revenge he’s going to have do something very different in the rematch.’
According to his wife Paris, Fury has just two years left in his professional boxing career as he heads towards retirement.
But there could be a further complication for Joshua as mandatory defences come into play, with a 37-year-old Robert Helenius potentially next in line after he won his WBA final eliminator bout against Adam Kownacki on the undercard of Fury’s win over Wilder.
Joshua could therefore face a race against time to fit Wilder, Helenius and Fury into his schedule before the Gypsy King retires.
Next in line for the winner could be Robert Helenius, following his victory over Adam Kownacki