Promoter Frank Warren was in awe of Anthony Joshua’s powerful highlight-reel second-round knockout victory over Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Warren feels that Joshua’s (28-3, 25 KOs) victory keeps him on track to face the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk clash.
However, Joshua may wait for those two to fight twice before he gets a crack at the winner, given that there’s a rematch clause.
Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, didn’t say who they could face next, but Filip Hrgovic would be an obvious name unless His Excellency has someone in mind that he’d like to see AJ fight.
Hearn is still hoping that the Saudis will allow Joshua to fight Fury next if he’s victorious on May 18th. He thinks they won’t want to wait for Tyson to face Usyk twice before AJ gets a crack.
The problem with making Joshua wait is he could lose. While he looked great tonight against the one-fight novice Ngannou, it might be a different story against a fighter like Hrgovic.
“Tremendous Punching Power”
“He did it in style. Tremendous punching power, good jab, and done an absolute job,” said promoter Frank Warren to Fight Hub TV’s forum following Anthony Joshua’s second-round KO win over MMA fighter Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The improvements in Joshua’s game that trainer Ben Davison has made were quite noticeable in this fight, with the way he repeatedly dropped Ngannou with right hands straight down the pipe.
“It was a really good shot; he lined it up, really let it go right down the pipe, and caught him flush,” Warren said about Joshua’s first knockdown of Ngannou in round one. “I said whoever catches who with a hard shot will win the fight.
Joshua vs. Fury: A Fight to Make
“If he [Joshua] had caught anybody with that right hand, he would have got him. A great fight to make [Joshua vs. Tyson Fury]. Let’s get May 18th first. Usyk has obviously beaten Joshua twice. They’re [Fury and Oleksandr Usyk] are #1 and #2. AJ is there. There are a few other guys floating around. It’s interesting times,” said Warren.
Fingers crossed that Fury is victorious against Usyk, and the Saudis allow Joshua to face Tyson straightaway rather than having him wait for two fights.
