The World Boxing Council (WBC) has cleared Anthony Joshua to face the winner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

The WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman, made this known on Tuesday.

Fury and Usyk will meet in Saudi Arabia on May 18 for all the belts before facing off again in a rematch expected to take place later in the year.

Joshua meanwhile awaits his shot after recording a devastating second-round knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou during a week in which an encounter with one of the top two in the division had been repeatedly touted as the potential prize for victory.

Sulaiman said there would be nothing standing in the way of Joshua meeting Fury or Usyk down the line.

He told Sky Sports: “The WBC was presented a sanction request which was to fight for the undisputed. The WBC accepted that sanctioning and we accepted the rematch they have requested.

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“But, if it is not anything to do with contractual or promotion, we would absolutely accept the winner to fight Joshua.

“The WBC has been very much attentive to this matter. So we have completely freed the ground for the undisputed, for a rematch, and for another fight of that level.

“The WBC position right now is very open to support the undisputed champion taking on the fights that the fans want to see.”

Joshua floored Ngannou three times on the night, including his decisive stoppage, to send out yet another statement on the back of the MMA star’s impressive boxing debut against Fury.

It marked a third straight stoppage win for the former unified heavyweight champion as he continues to plot a course back to a world title opportunity since losing his belts to Usyk.

Sulaiman added: “It was unbelievable. He looked like a champion of the world – tremendous, powerful, precise, and he made a statement. I am very proud and happy for him.

“That is how the world is, they judge you by your last performance and now he is a power force and everybody is claiming he is the best heavyweight in the world, last year they were saying he was washed up.

“Now, everyone is saying Fury is all washed up but we will see on May 18.”

The Star