Anthony Joshua has reiterated his desire to eventually face Tyson Fury, who knocked out Jake Paul in Miami.
After enduring a frustrating early round, Joshua stopped the YouTube star in the sixth round and insisted he wanted to face his long-time rival Fury in his next fight, saying he would let him know about a subsequent test in “a week or so”.
Promoter Frank Warren revealed last week that Fury had “indicated” his intention to return to the blockbuster fight in Britain, while Joshua announced his new challenge in the post-fight interview.
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Highlights of AJ’s win. Jake vs Joshua is now available worldwide exclusively on Netflix
He told Netflix: “I can’t wait for 2026. If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is and wants to put his Twitter fingers down, hang up his gloves, and come down there and fight one of the realest fighters, then I’ll take that challenge.”
“If you’re really bad, come in the ring with me next time.
“Instead of just talking about, ‘AJ is this, AJ is that,’ let’s meet in the ring and talk with our fists.”
Joshua KO’d Paul in 6 rounds
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn also expressed his determination to secure the elusive Fury fight.
“We obviously want the Tyson Fury fight, that’s the fight, the biggest fight,” Hearn said.
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The best parts from Joshua’s post-fight press conference. Jake vs Joshua is now available worldwide exclusively on Netflix
“By the way, we can do that right away. No interim fights. If Tyson and AJ are ready, we don’t have to fight in February or March. I think we’re talking eight weeks, 24 hours to sign a contract.”
Asked about the possibility of facing Fury next, Joshua, who greedily claimed he would do it three times, revealed that Hearn was already in talks about his next challenge, with news expected by the new year.
“The best promoter in the world has spoken to His Excellency Turki (Al-Sheikh) from Riyadh Season and I will now pass on that message and speak to my training team,” Joshua said.
“I’m a strong guy. I want to move forward, but it’s up to the coaches, they guide me. Fighters always fight, coaches are there to guide us.”
“They know what I’ve been through in the x amount of weeks we’ve been together, so it’s up to them to decide. They’re going to talk to Eddie and I think we’ll get some news in the next week or so.”
AJ downplays his display but gives Paul credit
Joshua returned to the ring for the first time since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September and gave an honest assessment of his performance against a novice opponent who suffered a broken jaw in his 14th boxing bout.
“It wasn’t my best performance,” Joshua said.
“The ultimate goal was to grab Jake Paul, hold him down and hurt him. That was the request and that was in my head. It took a little longer than expected, but the right hand found its destination.
Paul was severely beaten in Miami and was unable to continue.
“Jake Paul did a really good job tonight. I want to give him props. He stood up again and again. It was difficult for him there, but he was trying to find a breakthrough.
“I have to give credit to Jake for trying so hard and trying so hard, but tonight he faced a real fighter after a 15-month hiatus.”
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Paul suffered a broken jaw in a collision with Joshua. Jake vs Joshua is now available worldwide exclusively on Netflix
Paul defied the odds and fought on into the sixth round, landing some eye-catching shots, but Joshua dismissed questions about his opponent’s punching power and his “legacy” in the sport.
“I refuse to be hurt. I refuse to admit that I have been hurt,” Joshua said.
“I refuse to be hit. This is boxing. I’m going to get hit, and when I get hit, I counter-punch. Every time he hit me, I stood there and tried to hit him straight back. I wasn’t hurt.”
“I don’t care about the legacy. It just lasts for about 50 years and then it’s over. I’m just doing what I want to do. This is what I decided to do.”
