HE CAME, HE saw he conquered. Now world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants a piece of Tyson Fury after knocking out Wladimir Klitschko.
It was a fight for the ages as British star Joshua defeated veteran Klitschko in front of a 90,000-capacity crowd at Wembley on Saturday.
Joshua – who preserved his perfect professional record with a 19th successive win – climbed off the canvas having been floored for the first time in his career to end the titanic heavyweight battle in the 11th and penultimate round in London.
The 27-year-old added the WBA ‘super’ belt to his IBF title and post-fight, he warned the heavyweight division there is still room for improvement.
“This is boxing. I’m only going to improve,” Joshua told Sky Sports Box Office. ”Sometimes you can be a phenomenal boxer but this sport is about character. When you go to the trenches, that’s when you find out who you really are.
“In this small little ring there’s nowhere to hide. As I said from the get-go, it will be a boxing classic and the best man will win. There’s no complications with boxing – anyone can do this.
“I came out and I won – that’s how far I had to dig. I didn’t go into a 12-round slug-fest and struggle to beat Klitschko. I came back and fought my heart out.”
Joshua heaped praise on 41-year-old Ukrainian, who survived a fifth-round knockdown to drop his younger opponent heavily in the sixth.
“As boxing states, you leave your ego at the door and respect your opponent, so a massive shout-out to Wladimir Klitschko for taking part,” Joshua added. ”I’m not going to say too much in case he wants to come back and fight me again, but in terms of the boxing Hall of Fame and the boxing arena, he’s a role model in and out of the ring.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for anyone who steps inside the ring. I’m a little bit emotional now because I know I’ve got doubters who think I can’t do this and I can’t do that. But I dig deep.”
As for a potential all-English bout with Fury, Joshua asked the crowd: “Is that what you want to see? I enjoy fighting. I love fighting. Tyson Fury, I know he’s talking a lot and wants to come back and compete.
“I want to give 90,000 people another chance to witness another night of boxing. But I just want to fight everyone – I’m really enjoying this right now.”
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