It’s unlikely that Tyson Fury stayed up until 4:30 a.m. to watch Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight, but he would have woken up to a deluge of news on one topic.

“Tyson, did you see what AJ said about you? You have to fight him!”

More than that. Please fight Joshua.

In the silent and placid early morning after Joshua dispatched Paul, you could almost hear boxing fans begging him and Fury to do it now.

No warm-up fights. No delays. No crazy stuff.

It looks like Joshua is acting. If he takes the fight to Paul for a stack of money, why wouldn’t he fight Fury for a stack of more money?

It does not require marinating, the shelf life has already passed for several years. A February fight for Joshua and an April fight for Fury against other opponents were discussed.

Why? So can they risk injury or, worse yet, lose to seemingly weaker opponents?

The ball is in Fury’s court. He said he was retired; that he won’t come back for “£1 billion”. Maybe not. But nothing will make the Gypsy King’s knuckles itch and his heart pound faster than the sight of Joshua calling out to him; calling him “Twitter fingers.”

“If Tyson Fury is as grave as he thinks he is… Get in the ring next if you’re a really bad boy. Don’t talk so much… I’ll see you in the ring and we’ll talk with our fists,” Joshua said in the ring after his sixth-round victory over Paul.

Calculated. Direct. Personal.

“Then get in the ring with me.”

Joshua knows time is of the essence and what’s more, this is still a huge fight between two British icons. The entire Wembley Stadium is being sold out

Fury’s inability, fueled by the ego that every fighter in the world has; staying away from the spotlight was highlighted in a video he posted on social media last week when he chastised Joshua for saying he could “kill” Paul in the ring.

So to say Fury doesn’t care is bullshit.

“Here’s a fun fact – if I ever meet you, you tramp, I’m going to knock you out with a spark,” Fury said.

Here you go. This is the Tyson we know and love!

The only thing we can hope for is that he cares enough to put it all on the line and get back in the ring. He took a year off but was still vigorous, posting almost weekly updates on his training and gym sessions.

Joshua, although he lost to Paul, was not thoroughly tested. It’s not like his Miami feat will make him fight tougher or gain an advantage over Fury.

There is no longer any need for any delays, warm-ups or build-ups.

So please, for everyone’s sake, sign the contract, announce the date, touch the gloves and put them on.