Anthony Joshua has weighed in on his relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn, and jokingly referred to himself as the Matchroom boss’ cash cow.
Hearn has worked with Joshua since his professional debut all the way back in 2013, breaking numerous pay per view records and filling out the biggest stadiums in the UK during that time.
When asked to respond to a photo of himself with Hearn and Matchroom CEO Frank Smith by DAZN, Joshua also described himself as the pair’s “investment.”
“You’ve got two business men checking in on their investment! Just making sure that it’s running steady.”
“People call me the cash cow, so they’re just checking in on their cash cow and making sure that it’s still creating that milk!”
The comments come after Hearn himself has admitted Joshua’s commercial value has declined in recent years, exhibited by the number of tickets still available for his fight against Jermaine Franklin at the 02 next weekend
Many observers feel ‘AJ’s popular aggressive style changed after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden, which was evident in the back to back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Next week’s meeting with Franklin is make or break for the career of Joshua, as defeat would almost certainly spell an end to any ambitions he may have of becoming a three time world heavyweight champion.
Franklin put in a solid showing when he was defeated by Dillian Whyte last November, however Joshua still goes into the contest as wide betting favourite, and will be looking to make a statement on his return.
The fight will be available for fight fans to watch on DAZN across the globe.