One man who was keen to step in as a late replacement for Dillian Whyte to take on Anthony Joshua this weekend at London’s O2 has claimed the Brit is “mentally broken.”
This is not the first time Joshua has found himself without an opponent in the last days leading up to a fight. Kubrat Pulled pulled out of their first scheduled bout in 2018 with an injury, and Jarrell Miller failed several drug tests ahead of Joshua’s US debut in 2019.
The man to step in that time was Andy Ruiz Jr and it turned into a hellish night for Joshua who lost all his belts before winning them back in a rematch.
As such Joshua’s team has had to pick a replacement carefully, and Mahmoud Charr thinks he has been avoided for that reason.
The one-time WBA regular world heavyweight champion himself had a fight canceled for failing a drugs test in 2018, and was then stripped in 2021 for inactivity. He has previously fought and lost against the likes of Vitali Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin and Mairis Briedis.
Speaking to Seconds Out, he claimed he offered to step in this weekend.
“I told him, listen, give me the same purse bid you offered to Dillian Whyte, I will fight. Who’s Dillian Whyte? I was the last WBA champion, I never lost. I was ready. I am bigger than Dillian Whyte.”
He was then asked how Matchroom responded to that request.
“They’re looking for an easy opponent. It’s not about money, trust me.
I think Joshua is not ready to fight me, that’s the problem. If he is a real man he would say yes I will take Charr.
I know one punch on his skin and I will break his chin. He’s not strong, he knows he’s mentally broken.”
It seems Charr will never get a chance to test his theory as instead, it will be Robert Helenius stepping in to fight Joshua at the O2.