Hall of Fame trainer turned analyst, Teddy Atlas, has taken issue with Anthony Joshua’s claim that he is carrying the heavyweight division.
The British heavyweight and former unified champion got back to knockout ways by stopping Robert Helenius in the seventh round at London’s O2 Arena.
Joshua’s highlight reel right hand was the first early finish he’s produced in three years, and his enjoyment of it was palpable. In his post-fight interview, he even joked that he was doing all the legwork in the sport’s top weight class.
Speaking on his podcast, The Fight, Atlas responded to this claim by scoffing at ‘AJ’s resume and asked British fans of the heavyweight if they were ‘blooming idiots.’
“Who has he even beaten to have gained the stature that he’s been given over there? Charles Martin? A 280 pound Ruiz after Ruiz knocked him out when he took the fight on two weeks’ notice? A cruiserweight beat him two times. Usyk. His only real win was over a 40-plus Klitschko, who dropped him.
With that resume he has the gall… and that didn’t bother you? For him to say on the telly that his back was hurting him from carrying the heavyweight division. Are you kidding me? What are you blooming idiots?”
Those same fans of Joshua will likely say that his comments were in relation to his activity when neither of the champions – Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk – have stepped through the ropes this year.
In fact, it looks like Fury won’t defend his WBC belt at all in 2023 after opting to face MMA star Francis Ngannou in a crossover bout.
Usyk is due out this month against Daniel Dubois – his second defence of the unified titles he took from Joshua, who continued his fight back to the top by now looking to finalise negotiations with fellow former champion, Deontay Wilder.