Anthony Joshua needs to fight Tyson Fury or Zhilei Zhang next, legendary heavyweight Lennox Lewis has insisted.
The Brit boxer – and two-time champion – passed another test on his road to redemption by stopping Otto Wallin in round five.
He bloodied his rival and, in the end, the Swede’s corner were forced to throw in the towel to end the bout.
However, on the same Day of Reckoning a potential AJ vs Deontay Wilder fight was derailed.
The American heavy-hitter was outboxed by Joseph Parker leading to a unanimous decision defeat.
And speaking out after the huge card in Saudi Arabia, Lewis insisted he wanted to see Joshua face WBC heavyweight champion Fury before we can truly say the AJ of old is back.
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But not before pouring scorn of Wallin’s contributions on the night.
Lewis told TNT Sports: “I couldn’t really judge with this fight if he’s back or not. He definitely looked good. He did what he was supposed to do, go out there and take out a guy you’ve taken out in fights before.
“The guy didn’t have any definition in his body. I don’t know if he worked hard or if he was in training camp or whatever, and I didn’t see him throwing any punches that actually connected, because AJ looked good after the fight, like a movie star, like he wasn’t even in a fight.
“I think it does good for his mental state, everybody saying he’s back, but there’s still a long road ahead, and some hard fighters.’
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“He’s still got to go up against Tyson Fury – if that fight’s going to be made. I think that’s going to be a great fight for him. Zhang from China would be a great fight for him as well. There’s a couple of guys out there still wandering around,’ Lewis said.
“I think for this particular fight, he did well.”
Joshua, though, believes a fight with Wilder can still happen.
“I knew how important this fight was to me. I heard Deontay lost, so what? He will come back,” he said after his win over Wallin.
“Everything Deontay said about me, I could rip him apart right now but I’m going to take the high ground and I hope he comes back.
“You can do anything just don’t give up, if he wants he can come back and fight another day.”
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
