Anthony Joshua responds to backlash after sixth-round Jake Paul win

Joshua didn’t shy away from the criticism during his post-fight interview, admitting that he deserved it.

The 36-year-old admitted that despite the knockout win over Jake Paul, there was still a lot of work to do.

“I deserve it because we are elite fighters,” Joshua told talkSPORT when asked about the reaction. “If I put myself in the shoes of a coach, if my fighter did six rounds with Jake Paul, I would get him back in the gym tomorrow, give him a bit of a beating and get straight back to work.

“I’d be like: ‘How are you letting this kid take you six rounds, are you crazy?’ But I can’t go back in time. Credit to him, he did well.”

Anthony Joshua eyes Tyson Fury after return to winning ways

Anthony Joshua wasted no time after his win over Jake Paul, immediately turning his attention to a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.

The former champion’s sixth-round stoppage of Paul marked his first win since March 2024, and talkSPORT reports that a fight with Fury could be in the works for 2026.

Joshua spoke openly about what comes next in the post-fight press conference, highlighting his desire for the Fury bout.

“It wasn’t the best performance,” Joshua said. “We shake off the cobwebs, and I can’t wait to roll into 2026.”

“And if Tyson Fury’s as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there that will take on any challenge, step in the ring with me next if you’re a real bad boy.”

Joshua continued: “Let’s see you in the ring and talk with your fists.”