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Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois: Joshua’s Weight May Make A Difference

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Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois

The Anthony Joshua weight has varied in his professional career and something to consider ahead of his next fight.

He takes on Daniel Dubois in Wembley stadium next month in a super fight in the UK that also sees the IBF title on the line.

Dubois is only slightly shorter in height but is eight years younger and fearless.

Anthony Joshua next fight: IBF title shot in doubt after Daniel Dubois victory - Dexerto

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Joshua on his legendary night when he beat Klitschko weighed 250 lbs. all those years ago.

In his first fight with Usyk though the Anthony Joshua weight was 240 lbs. – ten pounds lighter.

He was 244.5 lbs. in the second fight with Usyk.

Maybe now years on, as long as he’s trained and well rested and in shape, maybe 250 lbs. and above is a good weight for Joshua moving forward post Usyk.

Full hydrated and ready to fight.

His power against Ngannou was there again too.

He was 252.5 lbs. that night.

So anything between there and 250 lbs. seems to now suit the Anthony Joshua weight as a pro.

People forget he learned his craft late on the job as a world champion in pro boxing with a limited amateur career even though he won Olympic gold, he didn’t have that many amateur fights.

Now that he’s settled down in his style in the pros, yes, stick to your boxing and everything you learned but don’t forget what you are good at — fast, powerful, accurate shots — where power does count in the heavyweight division.

A little extra weight over 250 lbs. has shown to be a good thing in Joshua’s career, overall, by this point.

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Anthony Joshua’s refusal to fight Zhilei Zhang is ‘worst kept secret’

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Anthony Joshua Zhilei Zhang

Anthony Joshua’s refusal to fight Zhilei Zhang is ‘worst kept secret’ says Chinese contender’s co-manager Terry Lane

Zhilei Zhang’s team believe Anthony Joshua has tried to ‘avoid’ a professional fight; the British star floored and defeated Zhang on points at the London 2012 Olympic Games; Joshua challenges Daniel Dubois for IBF title at Wembley on September 21

Joshua is preparing to challenge British rival Daniel Dubois for the IBF title at Wembley Stadium on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Zhilei Zhang

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Zhang was floored and outpointed by Joshua at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but the big-punching southpaw has been unable to secure a revenge bout with his amateur rival in the professional ranks after a string of impressive wins, including an explosive knockout of Deontay Wilder in June.

“I think it’s the worst kept secret in boxing that AJ wants no part of Zhilei,” Lane told Sky Sports.

“There’s been opportunities for them to fight.

“It’s just very clear that there’s no interest on AJ’s end, he just wants to avoid the fight, which is unfortunate.”

Sky Sports understands Joshua believes rivals are using his name to ‘stay relevant’ as he bids to become a world heavyweight champion for a third time against Dubois.

Zhang had previously been linked with a fight against Tyson Fury following his back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce.

With Fury set to face Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch on December 21, Zhang will be watching with interest to see who emerges with the WBC, WBA and WBO belts.

Zhilei Zhang v Joseph Parker (pic courtesy of Mark Robinson)

“A world title shot is the aim,” said Lane.

“AJ and Fury are the main desires for Zhang – those are two guys he wants to fight.

“I don’t know if Usyk is serious about moving back down to cruiserweight, but I think Zhilei has more than earned a shot against Fury and AJ.

“The problem with Zhilei is he’s feared. He’s a risky fight for anybody, a big-punching southpaw.

“He ruined the plans for Joyce to fight Fury and he ruined the plans for Deontay Wilder to fight AJ, so he’s known as a risky party pooper, spoiler, so getting these guys in the ring is proving to be tough.”

Zhang’s attempt to enforce a WBO title shot was derailed by a points loss to Joseph Parker, but Lane insists the recent victory over Wilder should earn a fight against the Usyk-Fury rematch winner or Joshua.

“Obviously, we would love a rematch with Parker and getting a chance to get the WBO interim title back, but we consider Zhilei already in title contention with his rankings across the board in all of the sanctioning bodies, said Lane.”

“I think he’s top four or five in all of them, as he should be, so we think he’s already in title contention and he’s earned a shot regardless of whether the Parker rematch happens next or not.”

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‘GREEDY BELLY, YOU’RE MY FRIEND’ – USYK TROLLS FURY’S TRAINING FOR THE REMATCH

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Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk reacted to Tyson Fury’s training ahead of their rematch on December 21. 

Usyk defeated Fury to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the world. Despite winning via a split decision, Usyk dominated the fight. Fury’s only good rounds were the middle parts of the fight. Usyk almost knocked out Fury in round nine, only for the referee to impose a standing eight count when Uysk was going to the finish.

Fury refused to accept the loss, saying Usyk made the decision due to the war in Ukraine. He referred to Usyk as an amateur boxer. The rematch offers the chance for redemption. However, it will not be undisputed as Usyk vacated the IBF belt. Fury has been putting in the work early. The following footage shows Fury after a run. He then stated the following.

Fury Reacts

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Tyson Fury: “I just finished a little bit of a run on the bay with the lads, working away, chipping away nicely. December 21st, Usyk, you’re on notice. Come on.”

In contrast, Usyk has been taking things much easier since the win. Usyk is starring in the new film Smashing Machine alongside The Rock. He will play the character of Ukrainian kickboxer Igor ‘Ice Cold’ Vovchanchyn. He has already made an impression with Johnson and Snoop Dogg, who came to visit him on set.

The Ukrainian also attended the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Usyk was vocal about the state of amateur boxing, with worries it could get scraped from the Olympics. Usyk won an Olympic Gold in London 2012 and went professional a year later. The importance of the Olympics showed as Usyk became undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight. The Ukrainian was not happy with the standards.

“For many years, there has been a desire to change the boxing system, which is rotten on an international level. So, we just need to work. No promises need to be made; we need to act. When you do this, people see the work done and come to you, asking to collaborate. But I think boxing will be in the Olympic Games. We are at war. But our athletes still came. They are fighting,” Usyk said

Although Fury was pushing the limits with his training, Usyk was unfazed.

Oleksandr Usyk: “Hey, my friend, ‘Greedy Belly,’ continue training. I’m ready, brother. I know your hard work is good. I appreciate it. Thank you so much, ‘Greedy Belly.’ You’re my friend. You are my friend.”

The rematch is pivotal for both. Another win for Usyk may be enough for him to walk away from the sport. His team has already hinted at a crossover fight. Conor McGregor has been mentioned as an opponent in BKFC. There is also the chance that Usyk will drop back down to cruiserweight. However, that is unlikely, as he would have to lose much weight.

This would be more difficult at this stage of his career now that he is 37. Meanwhile, another loss for Fury will leave question marks over where he goes next. Although there is the Anthony Joshua fight, it will not be as big as it would have been. Either way, there is plenty on the line come fight night.

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Andy Ruiz Jr. explains what went wrong in rematch loss to Anthony Joshua

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Andy Ruiz Jr. Anthony Joshua

Andy Ruiz Jr. has shared the ring twice with the British star.

On June 1, 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr. was briefly one of the biggest names in boxing.

The less fancied American was given the chance to face unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in a fight which many thought would be a formality for the British star.

Fight Picks: Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua 2 - The Ring

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What transpired was one of the biggest shocks in recent memory with Ruiz stopping Joshua in the seventh round and becoming a unified world heavyweight champion.

Despite knowing that a rematch with Joshua would be next, Ruiz enjoyed lavish celebrations following his triumph, but this appeared to have a detrimental effect on his performance during his second meeting with AJ six months later with the British fighter making easy work of his opponent in Diriyah to become a two-time champion.

Speaking about the rematch on DAZN’s Off The Cuff, Ruiz revealed what went wrong in the Joshua rematch and he was quick to criticise how he conducted himself following the biggest win of his career.

“I think I stayed too much in the party life, I was still enjoying the win,” Ruiz said.

“I totally forgot I had the rematch in six months, it goes by so fast.

“When I went to Saudi Arabia, I gained 30 more pounds, I wasn’t focused, I wasn’t ready.”

Since that loss to Joshua, Ruiz has fought just twice with wins over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz in 2021 and 2022 respectively, but he ends this period of inactivity this coming Saturday live on DAZN.

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‘WE ARE ON DIFFERENT LEVELS’ – USYK WANTS $200 MILLION FOR THE JOSHUA TRILOGY

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Oleksandr Usyk Anthony Joshua

Oleksandr Usyk would consider fighting Anthony Joshua in a trilogy for $200 million. 

That is according to Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk. The pair boxed each other twice, and Usyk emerged victorious on both occasions. The wins meant Usyk became the Unified Heavyweight Champion. Since then, both boxers have improved. Usyk defeated Tyson Fury as the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, the first man since Lennox Lewis in 1999. Usyk will rematch Fury on December 21. However, it is not for undisputed after Usyk vacated.

Joshua has done well since teaming up with Ben Davidson. In their two fights together, Joshua has secured stoppage wins overOtto Wallin and Francis Ngannou. Joshua will now box Daniel Duboisfor the IBF Heavyweight Title. If Joshua beats Dubois, he could face Usyk again if the Ukrainian beats Fury. That sets up a massive undisputed fight. Usyk has now become a much bigger name than when he faced Joshua, giving the Ukrainian more leverage in negotiations. With no pressing need to face Joshua, it would take a massive offer for him to fight AJ.

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk results: Usyk stuns Joshua to become unified heavyweight champion | Sporting News Canada

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“He’s a great champ and he’s changed a lot since the two fights with Usyk. We’ve seen him going down and seen him rising up. It’s also a complicated fight to make. “I’ll tell you why, because now we are on different levels. In the first fight, Usyk was almost a no-name and Joshua was a massive star in the UK. After he beat him twice, Joshua still remains a massive star here no matter what. So this fight might be something that attracts the attention of the entire world. If we decide to earn money, then we can probably go for AJ for $200million,” Krassyuk said

Usyk’s team has said he may consider moving back down to cruiserweight after the Fury rematch. Usyk has already been undisputed at the weight class, showing he knows what it takes to dominate. However, he would have to drop a significant amount of weight, making it a tougher task at the tail end of his career.

Usyk could also take a crossover fight with an MMA fighter or in BKFC. His team has expressed interest in taking on Conor McGregor in bare-knuckle. McGregor has two fights left on his UFC contract. Since he is a part-owner of BKFC, he has said he wants to take some fights under the organization. Getting big names like Usyk would help propel BKFC’s brand.

The final option is to retire. Usyk is undefeated and has won everything from amateur to professional level. Taking further fights at this stage only risks Usyk’s legacy if he comes up short. Either way, Krassyuk simply wanted the best for his fighter.

“I’m not talking on anyone’s behalf. We are happy if our opponents are happy. If they receive some huge amounts that they are satisfied with, for us it makes us more happy. We don’t want to get in somebody else’s business. If we are happy with what we achieved, then everything else stays out of our sight,” Krassyuk added

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Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Dubois could have had the “wake up call” he needed to beat Joshua

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Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois

Daniel Dubois could have had the “wake up call” he needed to beat Anthony Joshua, suggests top trainer and boxing expert Adam Booth.

Dubois will fight Joshua for the IBF world heavyweight championship at Wembley stadium on September 21.

Now upgraded to world champion, after Usyk had to vacate the title, Dubois was the IBF’s Interim belt-holder after his June victory over Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic.

Heavyweight Who Was KOd By Joshua And Dubois Has No Doubt Who Hit Harder: "I Lost My Senses" - Seconds Out

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It wasn’t an entirely routine victory for Dubois, but Adam Booth believes that could make him more dangerous in his fight with Joshua.

“The fact that Hrgovic found the right hand so many times could be the wake up call for Daniel that he needed to make that adjustment. You’d have to be a fool not to realise that you need to take Anthony Joshua’s right hand away from him,” Booth told Sky Sports.

There is a factor that both Joshua and Dubois do share, as well as their respective punch power. Both boxers are settling in with new trainers, Joshua with Ben Davison and Dubois with Don Charles.

Joshua has looked impressive in consecutive stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, as has Dubois who ground down both Jarrell Miller and Hrgovic.

Their new-look corners do make them unpredictable.

“Although we know more about AJ at that level, because there’s much more of a body of work, working with a new coach there’s always going to be a slight change. I think that Dubois is actually on the up because his last two performances I think are going to make him a much better fighter,” Booth said.

Booth, renowned for his work with David Haye, understands high-profile heavyweight fights from the inside.

“In the heavyweights with a big rivalry and a big stadium sometimes it’s the one that can keep their head when these little moments of the firefight kick off or when the dangerous shots are being looked for, it’ll be the one that keeps their head,” he said.

“AJ has proven that he can make the mistakes but still keep his head and that’s still for Daniel to prove.”

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‘THEY DID STUFF THAT WASN’T FAIR’ – FRANCIS NGANNOU SAYS PROMOTERS OF USING DIRTY TACTICS TO HELP ANTHONY JOSHUA

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Francis Ngannou Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou has slammed boxing promoters for giving Anthony Joshua an unfair advantage in their fight. 

Ngannou was knocked out in the second round in his second boxing bout, much to the disappointment of fans. He failed to follow up on his impressive showing against Tyson Fury. The Predator dropped Fury in the third round while managing to last the distance in an impressive debut. Despite losing a split decision, many felt Ngannou had done enough to win. But when it came to facing Joshua, Ngannou was unhappy with the scheduling.

He recalled how he was made to wait for the media obligations that ran beyond the scheduled times. Ngannou also referred to how the fight happened much later than planned. He had prepared to box Joshua for around 1 am, while the fight started much later at 3:30 am. Ngannou recalled feeling tired before he entered the boxing ring. Given that Matchroom and Queensbury were responsible for the scheduling, Ngannou was unhappy.

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“Not to say Anthony Joshua couldn’t beat me. I think if there’s somebody that you can lose against, he’s the guy, he’s one of the best doing it. This is definitely not on him, because he wasn’t the guy that was sending all those emails, organizing. So I’m not blaming him for anything. But the organization, they did quite some stuff that wasn’t fair.

“His team was part of the organization because it was Queensbury (Promotions) and Matchroom (Boxing), those emails were coming to me from them. Those were the people that were sending the schedule, and every day they send everything, the pickup time, the program, the schedule,” Ngannou said

Nevertheless, Ngannou has earned enough money to set him up for the rest of his career. He is now in a position where he does not have to fight unless it is for the right bout. The Predator is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, meaning he has beaten the best in the MMA world. He has also been appointed Chairman of PFL Africa, giving him a career outside of fighting.

The organization will hold its play-off season next year, as the best African talent faces off against each other. Ngannou is expected to make his PFL debut this year. However, the passing of his son did complicate matters. His 15-month-old son, Kobe, died, raising question marks over whether Ngannou would fight again. PFL Chairman Donn Davis first hoped that Ngannou would fight in the summer. While Ngannou still expects to fight, the timing has now been moved.

“It’s working pretty good, we have a good relationship. Perhaps, I will be fighting by the end of the year. I think Renan Ferreira is the guy [I will fight next]. He’s dangerous, I think [that fight will be in Saudi Arabia], that’s what the PFL is working on. [It will likely take place] in October. They’re working on October, it’s not finalized yet but they were talking about October 19th [as the date],” Ngannou stated 

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Tyson Fury makes Oleksandr Usyk fight decision after John Fury jibes

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Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

Tyson Fury’s manager has confirmed that there’ll be no changes to the Brit’s corner during his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury, 35, tasted defeat for the first time in his professional career in May after a split-decision result. Although their rematch hasn’t been given an official date, the ‘Gypsy King’ is expected to have a second chance at downing the Ukrainian this coming December, with the winner likely to take on either Anthony Joshua or Daniel Dubois in March 2025.

During the loss, there was notable change in Fury’s corner. Traditionally, only one person speaks to a fighter between rounds, yet in Riyadh, Fury’s father John, SugarHill Steward and Andy Lee were all seen giving him advice.

Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury by split decision to become the undisputed heavyweight champion

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Some of that was contradictory, leading to criticism of having too many voices. Nevertheless, manager Spencer Brown says that Fury won’t be changing tack.

“There’ll be changes, not in management or his team, there’ll be some other stuff that he’ll be looking at training-wise,” Brown told Sky Sports. “With the closeness of the fight last time, it could have gone either way. Some people will say Usyk was three rounds in front, some people won’t, it’s your opinion on boxing – that’s why we love it,” reports the Mirror.

Ex-heavyweight boxer and former sparring partner to both Usyk and Fury, Dave Allen, didn’t mince his words when criticising Fury’s corner. He told Boxing Social: “[There were] just too many voices in the corner really, I thought tactically through halfway was spot on case he boxed him and he had to box him because Usyk was so sharp, but you know you cut to the corners.”

Referring specifically to Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, he added: “SugarHill in the corner, he’s the only voice for me but he’s getting advice from John as well, after the knockdown in round 10 get on your bike and have a rest but 11 and 12 you need to win them rounds, he was trying to steal it. They’re telling him if you win the last round you’ve won the fight no, by this point you need a knockdown you need to get him out of there.”

When it comes to Fury’s upcoming rematch with Usyk, the pressure is certainly on for the British heavyweight to bring home the victory. But Brown remains optimistic about his odds, stating: “Tyson Fury will be back. He’ll be firing and we’ll see a new, better, improved Tyson Fury.”

Concluding his thoughts, he remarked: “At his age, I don’t know how much you can improve but there was very, very little in the fight between them, so let’s back our British guy and I’m sure he will win and then we’re going to talk about the next stage.”

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Tyson Fury has ‘No collision course’ with Anthony Joshua he defeat Oleksandr Usyk in rematch

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Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury must win his December rematch with Oleksandr Usyk if he is to remain on course to fight the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois victor, Fury’s manager Spencer Brown says.

Tyson Fury, the former two-time world heavyweight champion, is expected to attend the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois fight on September 21.

Fury lost his WBC title to Oleksandr Usyk in a four-belt undisputed unification in May. But, with Fury and Usyk set for a rematch in December, the Ukrainian had to vacate his IBF championship.

Anthony Joshua accepts Tyson Fury fight after call-out from British rival - Mirror Online

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Dubois, previously an IBF interim titlist, was elevated to become the body’s full champion and now fights Joshua at Wembley Stadium.

Although Fury has a long-standing rivalry with Joshua, he might well be backing Dubois in that September 21 fight.

Spencer Brown, Fury’s manager, told Sky Sports: “I think he’s a good friend of Daniel Dubois and obviously he’s in that [same] promotional company. But I think Tyson just wants to see a good fight. Who will he back? Probably Daniel Dubois.”

The winner of Joshua vs Dubois would of course make for a hugely appealing all-British clash with Fury.

But Fury, 35, will not be plotting out a route to fighting the AJ-Dubois victor just yet. His focus is on the Usyk rematch.

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ANTHONY JOSHUA EXPOSES CARL FROCH’S WORLD TITLE WIN – ‘YOU DIDN’T BEAT A CHAMPION’

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Anthony Joshua Carl Froch

Anthony Joshua called out Carl Froch over his first world title as the pair butted heads.

The duo have not had the best relationship. Froch was very critical of Joshua following his departure from Robert McCracken. Froch also worked under McCracken as he backed up his former trainer. Carl singled out Joshua’s defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr., suggesting he quit in that fight. He was also critical of Joshua’s level of opposition following his losses to Oleksandr Usyk, calling into question Joshua’s legacy.

However, given that Joshua has twice been a former Unified Heavyweight Champion, those comments did not sit well with him. Now, AJ has fired back with some words of his own. He commented on Froch’s win over Jean Pascalin 2008 for the vacant WBC Super Middleweight Title. Since Froch did not beat a world champion, AJ questioned the magnitude of that win.

Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk share an intense face-off at their London press conference ahead of their

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“What’s happening? How’s your week going? How’s your podcast going? Quick question – when you boxed Jean Pascal for your first world title in Nottingham actually, Tyson Fury actually made his pro debut on that card, you fought for a vacant title right?

“So you didn’t beat a champion. What do you feel about that? Do you feel that you was regarded a champion because you fought for a vacant one? So the title not being there, it would have just been a normal fight. But they threw a title in the air and you became champion.

“You didn’t beat a champion, to become champion if you get what I mean. Do you feel like that win, not irrelevant, but it’s not highly regarded the same as if you was to have gone and beat a world champion? How do you feel about that fight with Jean Pascal?” Joshua said 

Froch had plenty to say about the question. There are suggestions that Froch ducked Joe Calzaghe, something he denied. However, Froch has made it clear that he wanted the fight. But Calzaghe vacated his WBC belt, meaning Froch could not have fought him as the belt became vacant. Froch also doubled down on his win, stating that Pascal was undefeated at the time.

Pascal would also move up to light heavyweight and became a unified champion, showing his level of talent. Given that Joshua had won his first world title by facing Charles Martin, the IBF Heavyweight Champion, AJ’s comments suggested his win was better. Froch, however, dispelled those claims.

“Did I feel like world champion? I had the green and the gold belt. When I woke up and saw the belt at the bottom of my bed in the morning, I felt like a world champion. I know what he means. I didn’t beat the champion to become the champion. That’s probably why he conveniently didn’t ask about the IBF title.”

“I think they all know. Anthony Joshua was the first question. He sent me a voicemail. I think he’s alright. I think we’re seeing eye-to-eye. We’ve had a good exchange of messages. For all you fanboys out there that are upset that we’ve played the voice note ‘oh you shouldn’t be releasing private messages’. Trust me, me and Anthony Joshua are okay,” Froch replied

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