WBC would accept Anthony Joshua to face winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk after Francis Ngannou knockout
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says there would be nothing standing in the way of Anthony Joshua facing the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk; Joshua currently sits No 1 in the WBC rankings behind champion Fury
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Highlights of Anthony Joshua’s stunning knockout victory against Francis Ngannou
The WBC would ‘accept’ Anthony Joshua going on to face the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship, says president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Fury and Usyk will meet on May 18 in Saudi Arabia for all the belts before facing off again in a rematch expected to take place later in the year.
Joshua meanwhile awaits his shot after recording a devastating second-round knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during a week in which an encounter with one of the top two in the division had been repeatedly touted as the potential prize for victory.
Sulaiman says there would be nothing standing in the way of Joshua meeting Fury or Usyk down the line.
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“The WBC was presented a sanction request which was to fight for the undisputed. The WBC accepted that sanctioning and we accepted the rematch they have requested,” Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
“But, if it is not anything to do with contractual or promotion, we would absolutely accept the winner to fight Joshua.
“The WBC has been very much attentive to this matter. So we have completely freed the ground for the undisputed, for a rematch, and for another fight of that level.
“The WBC position right now is very open to support the undisputed champion taking on the fights that the fans want to see.”
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Anthony Joshua stopped Francis Ngannou with an identical shot that has caused massive knockouts earlier in his career. Here’s a look at some of AJ’s big hits over the years
Joshua floored Ngannou three times on the night, including his decisive stoppage, to send out yet another statement on the back of the MMA star’s impressive boxing debut against Fury.
It marked a third straight stoppage win for the former unified heavyweight champion as he continues to plot a course back to a world title opportunity since losing his belts to Usyk.
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“It was unbelievable,” added Sulaiman. “He looked like a champion of the world – tremendous, powerful, precise and he made a statement. I am very proud and happy for him.
“That is how the world is, they judge you by your last performance and now he is a power force and everybody is claiming he is the best heavyweight in the world, last year they were saying he was washed up.
“Now, everyone is saying Fury is all washed up but we will see on May 18.”
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Watch all angles of Anthony Joshua’s incredible knockout punch which ended his fight with Francis Ngannou
Joshua’s resurgence has coupled with Fury’s lacklustre performance against Ngannou in raising further questions over the potential outcome in a widely-coveted clash between the British heavyweight rivals.
Fury, first, will look to achieve what Joshua could not when he meets the technical mastery of Usyk. In the meantime, Joshua could yet go on to face Filip Hrgovic for the IBF title should the belt be vacated in the wake of Fury and Usyk’s first bout.
“This is the way media and fans and human beings are. We like to speculate, we like to make comments, we like to be part of the conversation but in reality, there are so many things that go into the sport of boxing,” Sulaiman continued.
“It is all about styles. You beat one great fighter, then the other beats the other one, then the other beats the other. (Joe) Frazier dominated and knocked down (Muhammad) Ali to be knocked out next fight and knocked down six times by (George) Foreman.
“So, it is all about styles, you cannot compare one against each other with the performance against another fighter but this is great to have a conversation going on regarding boxing.”
Sourse: skysports.com