ANTHONY JOSHUA has been called out by bare-knuckle boxer Ben Rothwell – following his 36 SECOND knockout.
Rothwell had 53 MMA bouts – including an 11 year stint in the UFC.
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But he signed for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in 2022 and has won all four of his bouts.
Rothwell, 43, became BKFC champion after knocking out Mick Terrill, 41, in 36 seconds and now wants a run at regular boxing.
He told Ariel Helwani: “Right now I’m a free agent, I very much love the BKFC, I love David Feldman and I would like to continue, even finish my career here.
“How much time have I got? Maybe a year or so, it really depends. But Francis Ngannou, Anthony Joshua, guys who beat them guys.
“To put the gloves on and prove how good at boxing I am would very much be a bucket list.
“I just don’t feel like I’ve ever gotten to show the boxing world how good of a boxer I am.”
Ngannou, 38, walked out on the UFC to pursue boxing in 2023.
He dropped Tyson Fury, 36, on his debut only to lose a controversial split-decision.
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Ngannou then faced Joshua, 35, last March but he was brutally knocked out in two rounds.
The ex-UFC champ then returned to the MMA cage in October – beating Renan Fereira, 35, in the PFL.
Joshua meanwhile was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, in September and has not returned since.
And Rothwell wants to showcase his skills in both the boxing and BKFC ring.
He said: “Right now the BKFC and UFC fans just say I’m a brawler.
“They don’t understand my precision, they don’t understand how capable I truly am but if I got to fight one of them that would be a huge opportunity for me to show the world how good I really am.
“Before I am done fighting, I want to bring as much respect to this belt as possible.
“If I have to step away for a fight I think the BKFC would back me. I believe we’re going to get something figured out and I will defend this belt.”
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