How Ibrahimovic replied when asked how much money it would take to fight Joshua

By Dov Rawson   OCT 29, 2017

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in attendance on Saturday night as Anthony Joshua successfully defended his IBA and WBF world heavyweight titles.

Cameroonian boxer Carlos Takam was beaten with a controversial 10th-round stoppage - the referee's decision was met by raucous booing at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The 36-year-old - who stepped in at 12 days notice following an injury to Kubrat Pulev - had blood pouring into his eye from the fourth round onwards and was twice inspected by ringside medics.

Joshua's unblemished record now stands at 20-0, whilst the 28-year-old extended his knockout streak to 20.

"I come to fight. I don't sit on the edge and make decisions," Joshua said. "It was a good fight until the ref stopped it, so I have the utmost respect for Takam.

"People want to see Takam unconscious on the floor, and that's what I was trying to get to."

BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello agreed with the stoppage.

"I don't have a problem with it," he said. "Surely with the blood flowing the way it was, Takam could barely have seen.

"I've seen too many sob stories at this stage of a fight for me to complain about that stoppage."

Ibrahimovic on fighting Joshua

The 35-year-old Manchester United star, close to returning from a serious knee injury, made his way to Cardiff to watch the hugely talented Joshua.

Ibrahimovic was interviewed immediately after the bout, praising Joshua's opponent and the referee's decision.

"It was a good fight," said the Swedish footballer. "I thought it would be faster but the other guy did a good job.

"The referee is there to protect both the fighters - the guy was getting a beating. The referee knows better than the fans. They just wanted to see a knockout."

Rio Ferdinand recently entered the world of boxing and Ibrahimovic was asked how much money it would take for him to fight Joshua in the ring.

"I would not fight Joshua. I can only learn from him - but if he wants to learn some Bruce Lee skills, I can learn him."

 Ibrahimovic is renowned for scoring gravity-defying goals and his Taekwondo black belt has certainly helped him score goals other footballers could only dream of.