CIRCUS IS FINALLY OVER, AJ

ANTHONY JOSHUA made the smart move as he picked over the bones of his 17-minute circus act.

- BY MARTIN DOMIN

He changed the subject. Adopting a barely-passable accent, he turned his attention to Tyson Fury and mocked his great rival.

"You big dosser," he drawled. "Eight weeks - you have 24 hours to sign the contract."

And for a moment it was possible to forget his laboured performance against Jake Paul that was witnessed by the likes of golfer Rory Mcllroy.

YouTuber Paul had attempted to lead the former world champion a merry dance until he ran out of steam.

Then he clung on to Joshua for dear life before repeatedly staggering to the canvas.

Even the referee had had enough at one point, lecturing the pair that the fans "didn't pay to see this crap".

Eventually Joshua began to make inroads, dropping Paul twice in the fifth round and then again in the sixth. A final thudding right hand brought the curtain down on a spectacle which had been jeered from the second session.

And as Paul drove himself to hospital for surgery on a jaw broken in two places, he no doubt crowned himself the moral victor. His performance should be begrudgingly applauded for its tactical nous.

How else was a novice to survive against a 6ft 6in Olympic champion?

At least AJ was in no mood to sugarcoat his first outing since the loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last year.

He said: "It wasn't the best performance, the end goal was to pin Jake down and hurt him. That was the goal. It took longer than expected but we got there.

"I needed to do better. It's a win, but it's not a success. I think my coach expects more from me, and I expect more from myself.

"Jake did well while it lasted but I wish that I could have knocked him out at the start."

Don't we all. Once recovered, Paul will be back, buoyed by his perceived success.

But he will be of no consequence to Joshua whose pleas to Fury must not fall on deaf ears.