ANTHONY JOSHUA insists he would stop Joe Joyce on the first round once more if they cross paths again.
Joshua was set for a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, who dethroned the British superstar of the WBA, IBF and WBO unified titles in September.
However, Usyk has bravely taken up arms to defend Ukraine in the war against Russia, who invaded his country, and that could see their fight being shelved.
Both AJ and his promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed they will be open to an interim bout in the meantime with various names being thrown into the mix.
Among them is fellow British boxer Joyce who is a WBO mandatory challenger and has a good shot of stepping in.
Joshua would have no problem facing the Juggernaut but warned he would knock him out in just one round like he did in the past when they were youngsters.
A fan claimed on Twitter the 32-year-old wouldn’t take on Joyce, who was knocked back due to a ‘lack of credibility’ in 2019, as he would have the tools to beat him.
Joshua responded: “‘Rolls Eyes…’ You really think I wouldn’t fight [Joe Joyce]?”
He added on another tweet: “Lol ok … I’ve shared this ring with most people you see in the heavyweight division today!
“I boxed Otto Wallin twice as youngsters & I boxed Joe and stopped him in 1 round. I’d do the same thing today! Ain’t nothing changed.”
Wallin is also ready to step in and fight Joshua if Usyk is out of the equation.
The Swedish bruiser’s promoter Dmitriy Salita has already put his name forward to Hearn and the heavyweight believes he resembles the Ukrainian champ far more than lefties Charles Martin and Luis Ortiz.
Wallin told SunSport: “I think if you look at us three, I’d be the best option.
“I had that really good fight with [Tyson] Fury, sent him to the hospital with 47 stitches and was probably Fury’s hardest fight so far.
“If you look at Usyk and you’re trying to find someone that’s similar to him, obviously I’m the best option.
“They know that I’m interested in the fight and I want the fight.”
