All hail the new king

Former world champion Lennox Lewis has been quick to hail titleholder Anthony Joshua, saying his ‘‘cracking fight’’ with Wladimir Klitschko was ‘‘everything a boxing fan could want’’.

Tony Bellew, a former world cruiserweight champion who was a ringside commentator for the fight, went a step further, anointing Joshua as the new ‘‘King of Boxing’’.

‘‘He got caught up in Klitschko’s mind games but you know what – all the questions got answered tonight,’’ Bellew said.

‘‘Anthony Joshua is the real deal. He got off the floor, he came from behind in my opinion, he found a way to get over all the obstacles and he did the job.

‘‘Anthony Joshua has just taken Floyd Mayweather’s place as the king of boxing. He’s showed the world what he’s about. He threw everything he could at him. There’s a new sheriff in town, take his seat on the throne as the king of boxing.’’

Lewis congratulated Joshua on Twitter, but also lavished praise on Klitschko, his former rival.

‘‘How much heart did [Klitchsko] show in this fight?,’’ Lewis tweeted. ‘‘Gotta respect it.’’

The incomparable Sugar Ray Leonard, a former world champion in five separate weight divisions, said it was an ‘‘amazing fight by two great fighters’’ with ‘‘a lot of questions answered by Joshua’’.