Anthony Joshua’s fight with Tyson Fury could be delayed by rematch with Wladimir Klitschko

Anthony Joshua, pictured with his IBO, WBA AND IBF tile belts after beating Wladimir Klitschko

Joshua and Klitschko could face one another again, with a rematch clause in the contract

Wladimir, pictured with brother Vitaly, is now thinking over his future in the sport

ANTHONY Joshua is most likely to face a rematch of his titanic world heavyweight championship battle with Wladimir Klitschko for his next contest.

If Klitschko decides to box on, the rematch will take precedence this autumn over an all-British Wembley Stadium extravaganza against Tyson Fury.

Klitschko, who put in a phenomenal performance for a 41-year-old, holds a rematch clause in his contract. He has gone home to Kiev to consider his future.

Before leaving London following his dramatic 11th-round stoppage, Klitschko said: ‘I need to analyse how I managed to lose this fight.

‘I have Anthony tied down to my rematch clause. I will give my situation serious thought and will make a statement in two or three weeks.’

But another potential opponent for Joshua is Tyson Fury, who he called out after the match

This was the 69th fight of Klitschko’s 21-year pro career, but it was his first for 17 months since his surprise defeat by Fury, and there have been calls for the former champion to retire.

WHO COULD JOSHUA FACE NEXT?

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO: A multi-million pound rematch is probably favourite. The Ukrainian has a clause in his contract which he has ‘a few weeks to decide whether to execute’. It would be staged at Wembley or in Germany.

TYSON FURY: A mega all-British fight at Wembley must wait until the Manchester-based fighter comes through a hearing into allegations of drug use, and trains down in weight from more than 250lb. May need at least one comeback fight.

DEONTAY WILDER: A transatlantic super-fight with the WBC world champion will likely brew a little longer for maximum box office impact on pay-TV in the United States before Joshua makes the journey to New York or Las Vegas to face America’s KO king.

KUBRAT PULEV: Mandatory challenger from Bulgaria.

But his deliberations will be coloured by two factors. The first is a belief that he should have beaten Joshua.

‘Anthony is on top of the world at the moment and deserves to enjoy it,’ Klitschko said.

‘He is a very good fighter but he has his vulnerabilities. When I knocked him down in the sixth I never believed he would get up. I should have finished it then.

‘I felt so convinced I was now going to win the fight that I thought I could be patient and wait for my chance.’

Second, the ambition still burns in Klitschko to join Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and his elder brother Vitaly as the only three-time world heavyweight champions.

Fury has been tweeting at Joshua, who responded on Saturday night by telling his fellow Englishman to sort out his life and train down to his fighting weight.

A second Joshua-Klitschko fight could also be staged at Wembley Stadium, if promoter Eddie Hearn thinks it would draw another 90,000 instant sell-out.

‘Either that,’ Hearn said, ‘or AJ would be more than happy to go to a stadium in Germany.’

Hearn added: ‘AJ against Fury would be another monster fight for Wembley.’

According to Hearn, Saturday night’s fight, shown on subscription by Sky Sports, has shattered the 1.5million record for pay-per-view on British television.

SOURCE: DAILYMAIL