Vitali Klitschko has revealed he wanted to 'tear off' Anthony Joshua’s head after he beat his brother Wladimir in April 2017.

Joshua famously knocked out Wladimir, the younger Klitschko sibling, in a classic which saw the Watford-native retain his belts in front of a packed-out Wembley Stadium.

In an enthralling bout, the Ukrainian veteran exchanged knockdowns with Joshua throughout the clash but was eventually knocked out in the 11th round, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Vitali was a member of his brother’s corner under the arch that night and has recently revealed in an interview that he was frustrated he was unable to avenge his sibling's defeat.

“I had a great desire to get into the ring after the bout between Wladimir and Anthony Joshua,” Vitali told Bookie Ratings, per talkSPORT. “There was a desire to tear off Anthony’s head.”

Vitali was alluding to a similar experience he faced when he lost to Chris Boyd and Wladimir later faced Boyd, defeating him by knockout.

He continued: “In fact, in the career of the Klitschko brothers there was such an interesting component – I once lost to Chris Byrd – I was injured, but Vladimir in the next fight went against Chris and took revenge for his brother by knocking him out.

"Then Wladimir lost the fight to Cory Sanders and then the elder brother came out, knocked out and took revenge for him.

“Now I had no such opportunity, although the desire was great. There is a desire, but opportunities no longer allow.”

The 47-year-old ventured in to politics in his homeland following his prolonged career in the ring, holding the position as Mayor of Kiev since June 2014.

So no, Vitali will not be Anthony Joshua's next opponent in a shock twist. AJ currently remains without a rival for his April date at Wembley, with time running out to agree a deal with Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte.