Dillian Whyte believes he should be Anthony Joshua's next opponent, claiming the 33-year-old is wasting his time by pursuing a bout against Tyson Fury.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk to cede his heavyweight belts, Joshua returned to the ring to beat Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision in London on Saturday.
After winning what was his first non-title fight in 12, Joshua called out WBC heavyweight champion Fury, who recently saw negotiations over an undisputed bout with Usyk fall through.
However, Whyte – who was ringside for Joshua's victory at the O2 Arena – does not believe Fury will accept the fight, and he wants a chance to atone for a 2015 defeat against Joshua.
Asked why he believed a rematch could be on the cards, Whyte told Sky Sports: "It's a logical fight. Fury is not a person to negotiate with, because he'll mess you around.
"If he's being offered unified heavyweight champion [by Usyk] and not taking it, what is Joshua going to offer him to take the fight? Nothing.
"He's obviously seeing Joshua as way beneath him, the fight isn't going to happen. I don't know why they are wasting their time.
"There is someone here who is willing to fight and ready to go, but for some reason Joshua seems to – I don't know if it's a tactic of his – brush it under the carpet."
Joshua had lost three of his previous five fights ahead of his win over Franklin, and Whyte believes his rival has been scarred by those defeats.
"Maybe he just doesn't want to take risks anymore," he said of Joshua. "I don't know if it's money that has made him soft, or if it's the defeats.
"Getting knocked out and getting outclassed, I think it's more that than money, to be honest."
A maiden ODI century from Aiden Markram powered South Africa to a dominant 146-run victory over the Netherlands and a series sweep with it in Johannesburg.
Markram's impressive 175 helped the hosts to an imposing total of 370-8, before Sisanda Magala's five-for skittled any Dutch hope.
Victory not only means the Proteas clean up their two-game series, but also vault West Indies to go eighth in the World Cup Super League table and boost their automatic qualification hopes.
For the Netherlands however, it leaves them further adrift at the bottom as they prepare instead for a trip to Zimbabwe to compete in June's final qualifiers.
South Africa did not make the cleanest start after they were put in to bat, and looked laboured at 32-2 following the loss of Quinton de Kock (8) and Temba Bavuma (6) early on at Wanderers Stadium.
Markram's arrival at the crease saw a dramatic turnaround in fortunes as he punished the visitors with a freewheeling display, aided by David Miller's 91 for a 199-run fifth-wicket partnership.
Spirited efforts from Musa Ahmed (61) and Max O'Dowd (47) in response looked like they had set the stage for the Netherlands to make a game of it.
But the collapse of their tail – orchestrated by Magala with figures of 5-43 – ultimately saw them finish 224 all out, comfortably off the pace and condemned to another loss.
Markram rises to the occasion again
Two days after his 51 not out helped the Proteas to an eight-wicket win in their first game with the Netherlands, Markram was at it again in Johannesburg.
Not only was his 175 his maiden century in ODI cricket, but it also marks his highest individual score at senior international level across any format.
Magala pushes for World Cup spot
Just under 18 months on from his international debut against the Netherlands in November 2021, Magala enjoyed his best game yet with the ball in hand.
It is his first five-for in seven ODIs, and with the World Cup on the horizon, he will have done no damage to his prospects of potential inclusion.
Eddie Jones has six uncapped faces in his first Australia squad since returning to the team, comparing his training camp with Formula 1 pre-season testing.
The veteran coach was dismissed by England last December, and promptly returned to take charge of the Wallabies for the second time, succeeding Dave Rennie.
In making his first selections ahead of a training camp before July's Rugby Championship and September's Rugby World Cup, Jones has not been afraid to gamble.
On the weekend the Australian Grand Prix took place in Melbourne, the 63-year-old also spoke of how his side can draw influence from the start of a new year in F1 too.
"Every pre-season testing in Formula One is a fresh start," he said. "New ideas, new cars, new drivers, new support staff. It's the same for us.
"This is a new squad, with new standards and new expectations for a new challenge. I hope the players who have this first chance understand the privilege, have their tyres pumped up and they're ready to go."
Brumbies duo Blake Schoupp and Ryan Lonergan are included for the first time, alongside Rebels pair Carter Gordon and Brad Wilkin.
Waratahs teenager Max Jorgensen also gets a first call, as does Reds man Josh Flook, who is joined by domestic team-mate Suliasi Vunivalu despite the league convert's mixed form.
Jones believes he has a team with the mindset to deliver, adding: "It's no secret what I've been looking for, and in the players selected for this first camp they've delivered on work rate, effort and intent.”
"I've said it a million times. We have the talent in Australia but not the team. This first camp and this first squad is the first step to building a winning team.
"This is not the squad for Rugby World Cup. It's the first squad for the first camp. If you are in it, the challenge is to stay in it. If you are not in it, how do you get in it? Players select themselves."
Australia squad: Allan Alaalatoa (Brumbies), Ben Donaldson (Waratahs), Pone Fa'amausili (Rebels), Josh Flook (Reds), Lalakai Foketi (Waratahs), Nick Frost (Brumbies), Langi Gleeson (Waratahs), Carter Gordon (Rebels), Ned Hanigan (Waratahs), Reece Hodge (Rebels), Michael Hooper (Waratahs), Jed Holloway (Waratahs), Len Ikitau (Brumbies), Max Jorgensen (Waratahs), Andrew Kellaway (Rebels), Lachlan Lonergan (Brumbies), Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies), Fraser McReight (Reds), Mark Nawaqanitawase (Waratahs), Cadeyrn Neville (Brumbies), Jordan Petaia (Reds), David Porecki (Waratahs), Tom Robertson (Force), Pete Samu (Brumbies), Blake Schoupp (Brumbies), James Slipper (Brumbies), Darcy Swain (Brumbies), Jordan Uelese (Rebels), Rob Valetini (Brumbies), Suliasi Vunivalu (Reds), Nic White (Brumbies), Brad Wilkin (Rebels), Tom Wright (Brumbies).
Charles Leclerc rued "the worst start to the season ever" as his Ferrari posted a second retirement of 2023 at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Monegasque spun off on three turns in at Albert Park after a collision with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, ending his race inside the opening lap.
Following a 39th-lap retirement in Bahrain with engine trouble and a seventh-place finish in Saudi Arabia, it continues a rough campaign for Leclerc.
Speaking afterwards, the 25-year-old refused to place the blame at Stroll's feet, but acknowledged his first three races are a nadir in his Formula 1 career.
"[It is] just extremely frustrating," he said. "I mean, it's the worst start to the season ever, really. It is really frustrating.
"I'm not pointing the finger at Lance because I think he had no choice once Fernando [Alonso] slowed down the car the second time.
"For me, it was just impossible to see whether Lance was staying behind Fernando or if he was just in between. I obviously didn't think he was there."
It marked a pointless day for Ferrari, with Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz demoted from fourth to 12th with a controversial five-second time penalty.
The Spaniard was handed the punishment for running into Alonso amid the race's restart in the wake of its second red flag, with just two laps to go.
After a rolling restart the third time around ensured he could not build an advantage to keep him in the points, Sainz was left fuming afterwards.
"I think it's the most unfair penalty I've seen in my life," he told media. "I [would] prefer to go back to the stewards, have a conversation with them.
"Maybe I can come back and talk [then]. I honestly cannot do it [now]. It's too unfair, and I don't feel well to speak."
Max Verstappen was thrilled to seal his first victory at the Australian Grand Prix and emerge unscathed after three red flags caused chaos in Melbourne.
Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to claim his second win from three races in 2023.
The two-time world champion extended his championship lead to 15 points over team-mate Sergio Perez, who recovered from a pit-lane start to finish fifth.
Red Bull have the fastest car on the track, but Verstappen was made to work hard for his latest victory, the team's first in Australia since Sebastian Vettel triumphed in 2011.
He dropped from pole to third as he was passed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap, which he suggested was partly due to caution on his part.
Verstappen also made a mental note of what he felt were aggressive moves after earlier complaining on team radio that Hamilton had run him wide.
Three red flags and a frantic finish meant Verstappen was unable to coast to victory when his big lead evaporated for a standing restart, but he held off Hamilton.
"No, not straightforward!" he said after the race. "We had a very poor start. Lap one I was careful because I had a lot to lose and they [the Mercedes] had a lot to win.
"From my side, I just tried to avoid a contact [on the first lap]."
Asked about the battle with Hamilton, he said: "It's quite clear in the rules what you're allowed to do now on the outside, but clearly it's not followed.
"It's OK, we had good pace and we passed them anyway, but it's something for the next races to take into account.
"After that, the pace of the car was quick - you could see that straight away. We were always there, waiting for the DRS to open up to have the chance to pass.
"But with these red flags, I don't know... the first one, maybe you can do it but the second one I don't really understand. So, it was a bit of a mess, but we survived everything and winning is the most important thing.
"It's great to win here - my first win here and it's been a while for the team as well since winning in Australia, so very happy."
Fernando Alonso looked relieved to have claimed a third straight podium after a "rollercoaster" race.
He thought he had lost his third place in the final moments when contact with Carlos Sainz at the second restart appeared to knock him out of contention.
But after immediately issuing a third red flag, the FIA handed Sainz a time penalty and Alonso was reprieved when it was ruled the order from the previous restart should be restored.
Asked if he had experienced a race like that before, the 41-year-old replied: "Probably not! It was a rollercoaster of emotions with many things going on at the beginning and then also at the end.
"In the last half an hour it was difficult to understand what was going on.
"Mercedes were very fast. Lewis did an incredible job. I couldn't match or get close enough, but we'll take P3.
"The first red flag helped us because George and Carlos came in and we got those places for free. The second one probably didn't help us with the incident. But we got lucky.
"P3 and P4 is an amazing Sunday for the team. We have three third places now, let's get higher on the podium, let's go for a second place at least!"
The last occasions Alonso was on the podium for each of the first three races of a Formula One season were 2005 and 2006, the two years when he won the world championship.
Lewis Hamilton still does not feel comfortable in his Mercedes but has renewed confidence the team can fight to challenge Red Bull after a strong showing at an incident-packed Australian Grand Prix.
In a race that saw three red flags at Albert Park, Hamilton finished second behind world champion Max Verstappen, who has won two of the opening three races in the 2023 season.
Hamilton consequently returned to the podium for the first time since the penultimate race of the 2022 campaign in Brazil.
The Briton said he is still trying to get a connection with the car, but feels the team have an opportunity to narrow the gap to the dominant Red Bulls.
"It was [a crazy race]. I have had the best week here this week," Hamilton said.
"I still feel uncomfortable in the car, I don't feel connected to it so I am driving as best I can with that disconnect and I am working as hard as I can to try and create that connect but it is a long project.
"But still, considering we have been down on performance and the straight pace compared to the Red Bulls, for us to be up here fighting with Aston, it is just amazing at this point in the season.
"We have got to keep on fighting. Big, big thank you to everybody back at the factory, let's keep pushing.
"If we can close that gap, it is going to be tough, but it isn't impossible."
Team-mate George Russell lost the lead amid the drama of the first red flag and later had to retire with a power-unit issue.
Hamilton added: "It was really unlucky for George. On our side, we have got to look into our reliability, which has generally been really good, so that is really unfortunate.
"Otherwise to get those points is really amazing. I definitely didn't expect to be second. So I am super grateful for it."
On his disappointing premature end to the race, Russell said: "Yeah, I guess when it's not your day, it's not your day, and pretty disappointed initially with the decision to red flag the race.
"Everything we've done this weekend has been good: qualifying was great, the start was great, the restart was great, the strategy decision was the right one. It's just such a shame to be stood here right now."
Brandon Ingram said the New Orleans Pelicans proved they can contend with the best in the NBA as he continued his hot streak to earn a huge win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ingram scored 25 points or more for the ninth straight outing, putting up 36 in a 122-114 victory that leaves the Pelicans just one game back of the sixth-placed Clippers in the West.
Getting into the top six would mean the Pelicans avoid the play-in tournament in the playoffs.
"If you want to be the best, you've got to go against the best and you've got to beat them," Ingram said.
"That's one of the things that was in my head tonight, just trying to get this win."
Asked about his impressive form, Ingram said: "It's just manoeuvring a little bit, seeing what's open, seeing what spot I can get to on the floor, not forcing the game.
"That’s the biggest thing – seeing what's the best shot for the team, but also making sure that I stay aggressive."
Team-mates CJ McCollum and Trey Murphy III put up 19 apiece, and the former paid tribute to Ingram's ability to make the clutch shots in key moments.
"Those are I'm-just-better-than-you shots," McCollum said.
"He's relying on his skill set and his comfort level. Regardless of analytics and what's considered a good shot, that's a great shot for him."
Kawhi Leonard put up 40 points for the Clippers, who have now lost back-to-back games.
"We just have to give credit to them as they played amazing. Ingram played great," Leonard said.
Max Verstappen continued Red Bull's fine start to the Formula One season as he won his first Australian Grand Prix in a chaotic race on Sunday.
The double world champion did not have it all his own way after dropping from pole position to third as he was passed by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the resurgent Mercedes on the opening lap.
There were three red flags, with Russell losing the lead amid the drama around the first and he was later forced to retire, with Verstappen overtaking Hamilton to go in front on lap 12.
Verstappen charged clear from there to claim a second win from three races. He finished ahead of Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, though there was more drama and confusion before the final result was confirmed.
Sergio Perez started in the pit lane after opting to change his car under parc ferme regulations due to his issues in qualifying, but he was able to salvage a fifth-place finish.
Russell overtook Verstappen down the inside of the first corner and with the Dutchman on the back foot Hamilton forced his own way through.
Last year's winner Charles Leclerc was in the gravel after contact with Lance Stroll, ending the Ferrari driver's race and bringing out the safety car in a thrilling start.
The safety was car called out again on lap 7 after Alex Albon hit the wall, with leader Russell diving into the pits.
However, that move backfired when a red flag followed soon after, leaving Hamilton and Verstappen – who had not stopped – with an advantage and Russell down in seventh.
Russell promptly got back up for fourth after the restart, but it was not his day as he then lost power with the back of his car on fire.
At the front, Verstappen clearly had the most pace and easily reclaimed the lead by sweeping past Hamilton round the outside in a DRS-assisted move.
A Verstappen victory rarely looked in doubt from there until a late crash for Kevin Magnussen caused a second red flag.
In a dramatic restart, contact between Carlos Sainz and Alonso caused an immediate third red flag and looked to have ended the Aston Martin veteran's podium hopes.
A period of confusion then followed as the FIA determined what rules would be applied and Alonso was reprieved as it ordered the race to finish with the same order as existed before the restart, with Sainz receiving a time penalty.
Jimmy Butler said the win is all that matters as the Miami Heat boosted their playoffs standing, while simultaneously damaging the Dallas Mavericks' own postseason hopes.
The Heat entered Saturday's contest with a three-game losing streak, but fought for a 129-122 victory at the FTX Arena.
That was despite the slumping Mavericks shooting at 61 per cent, marking only the second time the franchise has ever lost when shooting at least 60 per cent including the playoffs (30-2 all time).
Butler led the way with 35 points and 12 assists, while Cody Zeller (20 points), Kevin Love, Max Strus (both 18) and Tyler Herro (15) all contributed.
The Heat are seventh in the East, have a three-game buffer over the Atlanta Hawks for the final play-in spot, and are only a game back of the Brooklyn Nets in sixth to avoid the play-in altogether – although, due to a superior head-to-head record, the Nets only need to go 3-2 at the end of the season to hold on.
After the game Butler, said: "A win is a win.
"I don't like the fact that they shot 61 per cent, but I do like the fact that we finally won a game."
Head coach Erik Spoelstra added: "I wouldn't necessarily have drawn it up this way."
The Mavericks, like the Heat, made the Conference Finals last season but find themselves in a real battle just to make the postseason this time around.
Defeat leaves them 11th in the West, one game back of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Luka Doncic was once again impressive with 42 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, with Tim Hardaway Jr (31) and Kyrie Irving (23) adding heftily to the tally.
But head coach Jason Kidd was not impressed with his team's performance at the other end of the court.
"Our defense was non-existent. Couldn't get stops," he said.
Hardaway Jr tried to rally his teammates, saying: "[We've] just got to play hard, play with desperation and anything can happen. Anything can happen."
Adam Duvall starred before blasting a walk-off two-run homer over the Green Monster as the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 9-8 on Saturday.
Duvall, who joined the Red Sox from the Atlanta Braves in the offseason, had four hits, three runs and five RBIs for the game in a glittering display at Fenway Park.
But his crowning moment came with the Red Sox two out with a runner on first at the bottom of the ninth, hammering a Felix Bautista fastball just above the Green Monster for the walk-off blast.
The Red Sox capitalised on Ryan McKenna's fielding error at deep left field that allowed Masataka Yoshida to get on first base after hitting a routine fly ball.
Duvall's subsequent blast just cleared the Monster, caroming into a tabletop and back on to the field, but the lights flickered, signalling the walk-off homer.
The 34-year-old outfielder homered in the third inning as part of a four-run salvo after the Red Sox trailed 7-1.
Baltimore had raced ahead with Ryan Mountcastle's two-run first-inning homer along with Cedric Mullins three-run blast in the third. The Orioles tagged Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale for seven runs across three innings.
The Red Sox cut it to 8-7 in the seventh after Enrique Hernandez's homer and Duvall's ground rule double for Rafael Devers to score. Austin Hays went five-for-five with two runs for the O's.
Flaherty's mixed day as Cardinals register first win
St Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty threw five no-hit innings along with giving up a career-high seven walks as his side claimed their first win of the season, 4-1 over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Flaherty fanned four, tossing down 49 of 95 pitches for strikes, but only had one clean inning, albeit his final one, on a mixed day on the mound.
The Cardinals opened up a 3-0 lead in the third inning, capitalising on a two-out throwing error by Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, before Nolan Gorman's two-run single.
Angels pile on the runs in Fujinami's A's debut
The Los Angeles Angels scored 11 runs in the third inning as they spoiled Shintaro Fujinami's debut for the Oakland Athletics, winning 13-1.
Fujinami, who joined the A's on a one-year free-agent deal, fell apart in the third after a positive start, with his game ending after 55 pitches with the Angels leading 6-0. The Japanese pitcher allowed eight earned runs with three walks and four Ks.
Taylor Ward blasted a three-run homer off reliever Adam Oller, while Shohei Ohtani had two hits and two RBIs.
Trayce Thompson produced a three-homer, eight-RBI game as the Los Angeles Dodgers won 10-1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lamont Butler scored a buzzer-beating game-winner to send San Diego State into the National Championship Game where they will face Connecticut after edging Florida Atlantic 72-71 on Saturday.
Butler got downhill and hit a 17-foot two-point shot as time expired completing a remarkable 14-point second-half comeback for the Aztecs.
It was the first buzzer-beater during this NCAA tournament and only the fifth in the Final Four history.
Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher opted against calling a timeout when Nathan Mensah rebounded Johnell Davis' missed jumper with the Owls leading 71-70 with 10 seconds left, before Butler drove on and took responsibility with his buzzer-beater for the ages.
"I didn't really know how big it was," Butler said who was mobbed by teammates and coaches. "We're going to the national championship. That's not things many people do."
After trailing 40-33 at half-time, SDSU found its defensive grip to work its way back into the contest, with Matt Bradley scoring 21 points with six rebounds.
Alijah Martin top scored for FAU with 26 points including three triples along with seven rebounds.
The Aztecs will face UConn who accounted for the Miami Hurricanes 72-59 with forward Adama Sanogo outstanding with 21 points including two three-pointers and 10 rebounds.
UConn advanced to their fifth National Championship game, with the Huskies having not lost to a non-conference opponent this year and winning all five NCAA games by double digits.
Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins overcame illness to contribute 13 points, while Miami's Isaiah Wong scored a team-high 15 points on four-of-10 shooting with their offense blunted, going at 32.3 per cent from the field as a team.
Luka Doncic scored 42 points with 10 rebounds but it was not enough for the Dallas Mavericks who suffered their sixth loss from their past seven games 129-122 to the Miami Heat on Saturday.
The win was much needed for Miami, who improved to 41-37 to be seventh in the East, with Jimmy Butler top scoring with 35 points and 12 assists at FTX Arena.
The Heat snapped their three-game skid but it left the Mavs' perilous playoff hopes worse off, falling to a 37-41 record, remaining 11th in the West.
Dallas are a game back from Oklahoma City (38-40) in the race for the final play-in spot, with the Thunder owning the head-to-head tiebreaker too.
Doncic tried his best with 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting with two triples along with 10 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. That was the Slovenian's 14th 40-point game this season.
Kyrie Irving added 23 points and eight assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr drained six three-pointers in his 31 points with six rebound and seven assists.
Yet all that was not enough for Dallas who shot at 61 per cent as a team, after Miami piled on 44 first-quarter points, leaving the Mavs to lament their defense. Miami's 76 first-half points was the third most in franchise history.
Center Cody Zeller offered good support to Butler with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Kevin Love and Max Strus both added 18 points and Tyler Herro contributed 15.
Ingram stars as Pels continue playoffs push
The New Orleans Pelicans moved above the Los Angeles Lakers and into the seven spot in the Western Conference with a crucial 122-114 over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard scored 40 points for the Clippers, who fall to sixth in the West, but Brandon Ingram maintained his fine form with a game-winning display.
Ingram scored 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting with four rebounds and eight assists, while Jonas Valanciunas added 23 points with 12 rebounds.
Leonard shot 15-of-28 from the field with four-of-eight from beyond the arc with eight rebounds and four assists, while Russell Westbrook contributed 24 points with nine assists.
The Pels have won seven of their past eight games to shoot into playoffs contention in the West with a 40-38 record, while the Clippers are 41-38.
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri says his side "didn’t play very well" leading to him storming down the tunnel before full-time in their 1-0 home win over Verona.
The Bianconeri secured their fifth straight win in all competitions with Moise Kean's 55th-minute strike the difference.
But Allegri was unimpressed with his side and stormed down the post-side tunnel before the full-time whistle.
"We didn't play very well and I think in the last five minutes we had to go and score a second goal, keep pushing them and maintain the pressure," Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
"It doesn't seem like much five minutes, but all Verona needed was a long ball into the box and anything could happen. We could've been here licking our wounds if they had equalised.
"It was a complicated match, as they always are after the international break. It was a tough game and we knew it was going to be because Verona make you play badly, they press all over the pitch.
"That's why we were blocked in the opening minutes, then we managed to move the ball around and create chances.
"We could have done better once we had taken the lead and double our advantage, without giving them a chance to get near our area. It's something we need to improve on."
The win keeps Juventus in the hunt for European qualification, although their 15-point deduction, means they are seventh on 44 points. Juve (44) are behind fourth-placed Milan (48), Atalanta (48) and Roma (47) in the race for Europe, with all but Atalanta having a game in hand.
Allegri was quick to point out if not for that deduction they would be on 59 points and subsequently second in Serie A. Juve will have their appeal against that penalty heard on April 19.
"This result means we have earned 59 points on the field, closing the gap on Inter and momentarily on Milan and Lazio," he said.
"We've got Inter on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia and then Lazio on Saturday, so we’ve got to be ready.
"In football if you have a good run of results, that allows you to catch up pretty quickly. We have to take it one step at a time.
"The 'real' table that we see there shows we are still four points off the Champions League spots and that is a lot."
Anthony Joshua put the ball in Tyson Fury's court after calling his rival out following victory over Jermaine Franklin.
A unanimous decision triumph against Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday brought an end to a two-fight losing streak for Joshua, who swiftly set his sights on a bigger opportunity.
Joshua's clash against Franklin was his first non-title fight in 12 bouts and, if he gets his way, will return to familiar ground next time out.
Fury and Joshua have negotiated for a 'Battle of Britain' clash in previous years without securing an agreement, but the 'Gypsy King's' failure to set up an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk has opened the door again.
With Usyk expected to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Fury's next move is not clear, and Joshua has issued his challenge.
"I know who the fans want… They said Fury. The ball is in his court," Joshua told DAZN in the ring after his win.
"I would 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. It would be an honour.
"Wherever you are, if you're listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. We've had dialect before, so let's continue and hopefully we can get this done sooner rather than later. We're not getting any younger.
"I can't wait to get back to Texas, to develop and push on. You know how one fight leads to another; I can't wait to get the next big fight."
Promising a new dawn against Franklin, Joshua fell short of expectations despite having the upper hand throughout, acknowledging he should have earned a stoppage.
"Someone else would knock him out, probably, but Jermaine has a good duck and dive style," he added.
"There were opportunities there but he knows how to tuck up. Respect to him, he done well, I respect him for that.
"Well done to him and his team for preparing. I should have knocked him out but what can I say now, it's done, onto the next."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
