By Jim Calfa: Anthony Joshua says he wants Tyson Fury next following his 12 round unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) says the ball is in WBC heavyweight champion Fury’s court if he wants to fight him next. Either way, Joshua says he’ll be returning to camp to fight this Summer, be it against Fury, Dillian Whyte, or Deontay Wilder.
Tonight, Joshua dominated Franklin (21-2, 14 KOs), handing him his second consecutive defeat, winning by the scores 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111.
Anthony Joshua: “You know me, I try to provide for the fans. I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want?” said AJ to Matchroom Boxing.
Ade Oladipo: “You heard them? They said, ‘Fury.'”
Joshua: “They said, ‘Fury?’
Oladipo: “Yeah.”
Joshua: “The balls in his court. I would 100% be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and say proudly that it would be an honor.
“So wherever you are if you’re listening, you know my manager and my promoter. We’ve had dialect before, so let’s continue so we can get this on sooner rather than later. We’re not getting any younger.
“I can’t wait to get back to Texas to develop and push on because there’s a bigger fight because one fight leads on to another. I can’t wait to get to the next big fight,” said Joshua.
Oladipo: “Eddie, you knew I was going to ask about Tyson Fury, and you heard the response. This was the first fight after back-to-back defeats, and you heard the response.
“Do you go with Tyson Fury next? Do you got with a Dillian Whyte next? What do you do next?”
Eddie Hearn: “I think AJ is going to want the biggest fights. Tonight was a step down from Oleksandr Usyk., but there’s been a huge amount of pressure on him. He’s been training, and he took himself away for a fight with Derrick James. I felt he ended the fight well.
“He’s learning a lot and working on a lot, but like you said, they’re not getting any younger. We would be willing to entertain those conversations now to go straight into a Tyson Fury fight in the summer.
“You’ve got Dillian Whyte down there, Deontay Wilder, you’ve got a lot of good fights. I think he’s going to improve under Derrick James. There’s a lot of pressure and improvements to make, and he’s going to want the big fights as well.”
Oladipo: “Anthony, when are we going to see you next? You promised me that we were going to see you in the summer. You’re straight on the plane going back to Texas. Does that mean we’re going to see you back in camp in the summer?”
Joshua: “Yes, you will see me back in the summer for sure. Thank you, Eddie, for the opportunity. You’ll definitely see me in the summer.”
