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| Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Joshua will have to wait a little longer for a shot at the big boys |
ANTHONY JOSHUA has been told he is not yet ready to take on the best in the world.
The Olympic gold medallist brutally knocked out Dillian Whyte to claim the British heavyweight title in spectacular fashion on Saturday night.
But rather than start calling out new world champion Tyson Fury, former champion Wladimir Klitschko or even David Haye, Joshua kept his composure amid the post-fight chaos.
Promotor Eddie Hearn knew he had witnessed a stunning show, but from his ringside seat he had also seen how much work there is still to do.
He said: "People talk about Fury, people talk about Klitschko, people talk about Haye - we've got a bit of work to do.
"I think we can beat them, but are we ready for those fights? I don't think we're ready.
"I think Fury has shown he's at elite, world level and Anthony is not quite there yet. We will get there and when we get there, it'll be the biggest fight Britain has ever seen.
"Obviously Fury's got the rematch. I think he'll win, I hope he wins and if he does, hopefully we'll have a belt by then too.
"David Haye is not really a target of ours because we're trying to move to a world title, but from a commercial sense, it's a huge fight. Again, he's a world-class fighter, but we don't know what he's got left."
Joshua proved he can take a huge shot on the chin as he wobbled but stayed up when Whyte landed a left hook in the second round, and then dealt with the sickening shots to the midriff from 'The Body Snatcher'.
He was brilliant in taking his man out in vicious style and controlled most of the contest. But there is plenty to learn from his 15th straight knockout win.
Joshua allowed himself to be rattled by Whyte before the fight and he reacted by calling him "fake" and a "scumbag" in relation to his previous criminal charge for possession of cannabis.
It meant he was drawn into the streetfight Whyte wanted rather than using his superior - if not yet world-class - boxing skills.
Joshua also seemed unnerved by a ring invasion at the end of the first round by Whyte's entourage when both men traded after the bell and referee Howard Foster almost took a few shots himself.
Watford's 6ft 6ins man mountain may look the part, but he still has to add more punches to his arsenal while also improving his footwork.
Joshua said: "I'm gaining experience, I've got the hunger, and do I need more experience? Probably, yeah. Do I need to improve? Yeah.
"I would fight Tyson Fury now and probably make it a hard fight. If I keep on plugging away and keep learning then I can make it an easy fight."
Joshua said he would like to fight Whyte again as the first man to take him past three rounds. The bad blood between them is still there too.
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| Whyte was the first man to hold out against Joshua for more than three rounds in professional bouts |
But the more realistic options are either a defence of the British title against Dereck Chisora or a clash against a foreign opponent that would move him up from eighth in the IBF rankings.
Fury was stripped of the IBF title last week and it will now be contested for by Vyacheslav Glazkov and Charles Martin, with the winner deemed the weakest of all three world champions as Deontay Wilder holds the WBC belt.
Whatever happens Joshua will be back at the O2 Arena on April 9 on pay-per-view TV after Hearn revealed the 17,000 sell-out show did "huge" numbers on Sky Box Office.
"He will learn so much from this experience and he's always going to be in exciting fights," added Hearn. It is hard to disagree.
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