The WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, has praised Anthony Joshua for his triumph over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Saudi Arabia.
In the opening round, Joshua delivered a straight right to the chin of Francis Ngannou, the 37-year-old Cameroon-born former UFC heavyweight champion and a newcomer to professional boxing, sending him to the canvas.
The highly anticipated “Knockout Chaos” bout continued its thrilling momentum. In the second round, Joshua floored Ngannou again, first with a right-left combination and then with a powerful right after Ngannou had risen from the initial knockdown.
The referee intervened and halted the fight, declaring Joshua the winner by knockout while Ngannou received medical attention after being knocked out cold. He eventually regained consciousness and struggled to his feet, visibly dazed.
Fury, who observed the match, indicated his focus on his upcoming bout against Usky, stating that he has other priorities at the moment. However, he expressed his willingness to face Joshua after his rematch in October.
His words: “Me and Usyk have got an undisputed world heavyweight championship coming up.
“He [Joshua] just had a show fight in Saudi Arabia, which is fantastic for the show, but for the actual real boxing, it is me and Usyk who fight for the number one and number two positions for the undisputed championship of the world.
“So that [the fight with AJ] is on the back burner for now. Great performance from AJ, fantastic, but unfortunately I have got bigger fish to fry in Usyk on May 18, and then we have a rematch in October.
“So, after that, if he is still available and I’m still available, let’s get it on.”
Fury is set to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a historic and highly anticipated undisputed showdown on May 18. The victor of this bout could potentially go on to face Joshua in the future.