Anthony Joshua labelled Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder “gladiators” on his Instagram account after the two heavyweights clashed in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Joshua, of course, will have been keeping a close eye on proceedings at the MGM Grand Arena.
The result means that Fury now holds the WBC heavyweight belt that Joshua will be eager to add to his collection and now we appear to be a step closer to seeing an all-British bout between the pair.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, insists the fight “has to happen.”
“We will never, ever get the chance for two Brits to fight for an undisputed heavyweight world championship,” Hearn said, per talkSPORT.
“I promise you we will do everything we can to make this fight. It has to happen.”
Joshua wasn’t present to watch Fury defeat Wilder and he’s been accused of ‘bottling’ a ringside appearance by talkSPORT’s Adam Caterall.
“In Jan 2016, the unified heavyweight champ Tyson Fury turned up at Wilder vs Szpilka to jump the ring and make a fight with the then WBC Champion,” Caterall wrote on Twitter.
“Where was AJ tonight?
“If you have any REAL ambition to make a super fight you cause a storm by being ringside.”
But former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew disagreed with Caterall’s take, responding to the presenter by pointing out that unified champions rarely do the chasing.
Joshua currently holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles and his collection is more prestigious than Fury’s.
And Bellew came to his defence, writing: “I disagree, all depends on what you have to bargain with tbh....
“It’s very rare you get a unified champion chasing someone else?
“AJ wants this 100% as does Tyson... This is now down to the business men on both sides not the fighters imo!”
Bellew’s right. If Joshua vs Fury is going to happen, it won’t require a dramatic in-ring confrontation to make it.