When Anthony Joshua got stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. in June to lose his three heavyweight titles, all the gold belonged to fighters in the United States, as Deontay Wilder held the other belt at the time.
But that changed in a span of a little over eight months, as Joshua dominated Ruiz to regain the IBF, WBA (Super) and WBO titles in December, and Tyson Fury battered Wilder to win via seventh-round TKO to remain the lineal champion and capture the WBC strap in February.
Now, "AJ" has laid down the gauntlet and challenged Fury to determine the king of British boxing and undisputed ruler of the heavyweight division.
"Come fight me. If you really want to say you're No. 1, come fight me," Joshua said to Sky Sports. "Let's get it on. I've got the rest of the belts, so it only makes sense. That proves that I'm the unified heavyweight champion of the world. He's the WBC champion of the world. What that will prove, me and him fighting, is that there will be one dominant figure in the heavyweight division that will have all of the belts and become undisputed."
Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) had been scheduled to defend his belts against mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev on June 20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The fight was postponed until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic. Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) was reported to be meeting Wilder for the third time this summer, but the contest is now set for the fall.
Joshua sees beating "The Gypsy King" as the way for him to get to the top of the mountain.
"Logically, it says to prove yourself as No. 1, I have to fight Tyson Fury," Joshua said. "He has to fight Anthony Joshua. And it will be cause for a great announcement after this whole pandemic we're facing right now."