Anthony Joshua and Carl Froch came face to face at the 02 on Saturday night, the first time the pair have crossed paths since the ignition of their prolonged war of words in recent months.
‘AJ’ labelled Froch a clown in an interview, responding to criticism from ‘The Cobra’ surrounding his decision to part ways with Rob McCracken, as well as questioning Joshua’s level of motivation.
However, any beef that did exist seems to be well in the past judging by the encounter between the two Brits this weekend – with Joshua even complimenting Froch’s physique!
The meeting came after Joshua’s comeback fight with Jermaine Franklin, where he was awarded a unanimous decision victory by the three ringside judges
Although he was victorious on the night, Joshua’s performance was not what some had been hoping for and he came under criticism from certain quarters, mainly regarding a perceived lack of aggression and an unwillingness to let his hands go.
The Franklin fight was Joshua’s first outing under new trainer Derrick James, and there is a hope amongst his fans that further improvements will become apparent after he has spent more time with the esteemed Texas based coach.
A rematch with old foe Dillian Whyte, who also went the distance with Franklin back in November, looks set to be next for Joshua. ‘The Bodysnatcher’ was working as part of the DAZN broadcast team and was critical of the Watford man’s performance.
There had been pre fight talk of Joshua going straight in to a mega fight with Tyson Fury, however promoter Eddie Hearn has since admitted he would prefer his prized heavyweight have another fight under James first.