Fans MAKE IT CLEAR to Eddie Hearn on Joshua v Whyte 2

"It's alright fighting a 38-year-old, a 39-year-old sorry, who is half your size".

As for Fury's chances against Wilder, Joshua said: "He knows how to spoil a fight".

He is hopeful of securing a rematch with Whyte but that seems unlikely anytime soon with the latter shaping as Joshua's next opponent if he can not come to an agreement with WBC king Deontay Wilder, who is slated to meet Tyson Fury in December.

"Even if he lost, I'll still fight him", Joshua said. Yet Joshua has quietly grown from each performance in ways that may not have been fully realized until Saturday when he held off Povetkin's attacking style by boxing from distance and used quick combinations in close to work his way out of trouble.

Joshua had spoken in the week of feeling "tons of pressure" to perform and the confirmation of the December 1 date for the higher-profile fight between Wilder and Fury will not have helped, but if he felt that pressure in the ring it did not show.

Alexander Povetkin is very tough challenger and he proved that tonight but I came in here to have fun, do what I've been working on in the gym and I did that.

28, is due to make a seventh title defense back at the same London venue on April 13 and wants a deal made with Wilder before the American has his next fight. "We will agree terms with Wilder to fight on 13 April if he beats Tyson Fury - if he does not beat Tyson Fury, we have got to look around as we have got a business to run", Hearn told Sportsweek on BBC Radio 5 live. He's slow, methodical, ponderous at times.

The WBC champ Deontay Wilder is the man in the Brit's sights.

"Sometimes you have to face your mandatory challenger, and now that's out the way we will put a poll out for who the fans want".

Mike Costello, BBC Sport boxing correspondent: "It was a brilliantly placed and timed right hand".

"I'm not too fussed who wins between them, good luck to both", Joshua said. We know the platform won't be built in one event, but it just delivered the biggest star in world of boxing...

He will now return to Wembley in April to face a yet to be named opponent, with Wilder, Fury and Dillian Whyte all believed to be in the frame.

"We're not willing to wait until December", Hearn said.

If boxing fans could have their way, Joshua's unification fight with Wilder would've already happened late past year or at worst in the first half of 2018. I'm not really swaying towards Wilder or Fury. "Ask yourself why don't they want this?" Three fights into a comeback.

Nevertheless, at the end of the sixth he was still in the contest only for Joshua to seal victory barely two minutes later.