Anthony Joshua calls for Tyson Fury to fight him if he is a 'real bad boy' after knockout win over Jake Paul
Anthony Joshua calls for Tyson Fury to prove he is a "real bad boy" by accepting a long-awaited British battle; Fury expected to return from retirement to fight Joshua in 2026; Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in sixth round of their fight in Miami after 15-month absence from the ring
Saturday 20 December 2025 07:27, UK
Anthony Joshua reiterated his desire to finally fight Tyson Fury after he had knocked out Jake Paul in Miami.
Joshua stopped the YouTube star in the sixth round of their fight after enduring frustrating early rounds, but insisted he still wanted to face long-term rival Fury in his next fight.
Promoter Frank Warren revealed last week that Fury had "indicated" he would return for the blockbuster British bout and Joshua issued a fresh challenge in his post-fight interview.
- Anthony Joshua knocks out Jake Paul in sixth round of Miami fight
- Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua - as it happened
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW
He told Netflix: "I can't wait to go into 2026. If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on his gloves, and come and fight one of the realest fighters out, there then I'll take on the challenge.
"Step in the ring with me next if you're a real bad boy.
"Don't do all that talking, 'AJ is this, AJ is that', let's see you in the ring and talk with your fists."
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn also stated his determination to secure the elusive Fury clash.
"We want the Tyson Fury fight of course. That's the fight, the biggest fight," said Hearn.
Joshua returned to the ring for the first time since a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September and gave an honest assessment of his display against a novice opponent, who was having just his 14th boxing bout.
"It wasn't the best performance," said Joshua.
"The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request and that was on my mind. Took a bit longer than expected but the right hand found the destination.
"Jake Paul has done really well tonight, I want to give him his props. He got up, time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way through.
"You have to give Jake his respect for trying, trying and trying. But he came up against a real fighter tonight that's had a 15-month lay-off."
Paul defied expectations by staying in the fight until the sixth round and even landed a few eye-catching shots, but Joshua dismissed questions about his opponent's punch power and his 'legacy' in the sport.
"I refuse to get hurt. I refuse to acknowledge getting hurt," said Joshua.
"I refuse to be beat. This is boxing, I'm going to get hit and when I get hit, I'm going to counter-punch you. Every time he hit me, I stood there, and I tried to hit him straight back. There was no hurt in me.
"I don't care about legacy. All the legacy is there to do is just last for about 50 years and once it's done, it's done. I'm just doing what I enjoy to do. This is what I decided to do."
