ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed his brutal stoppage of Dillian Whyte is the favourite knockout of his career.
The unified heavyweight champion locked horns with his old amateur rival in December 2015 in a battle of unbeaten prospects.

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte went toe-to-toe in December 2015Credit: Reuters

Anthony Joshua lands a nasty uppercut on Dillian WhyteCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Joshua avenged his amateur defeat to The Body Snatcher with a vicious seventh-round KO win at London’s O2 Arena, a victory which propelled him into world title contention.
And the win was made even sweeter by all the trash talk he had to endure from Whyte before they shared the ring in a professional capacity.
Joshua told Sporting News Australia: “The favourite knockout that stands out for me? Probably, I go back to the Dillian one. Sweet.
“Because that was like, you know… when I first started boxing I was just in Finchley.

“And you hear little things where the coaches are like, ‘Oh, this geezer. If he has a little sneeze he’ll pull out of the fight and say he’s got the flu. He’s not a serious guy’, And this and that.
“So when I fought Dillian, I had been training [but] they called me on Thursday night and said me, ‘Do you want to fight [on] Friday?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, cool, let’s fight.’
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

“So imagine I had been training every day. [But] in a fight, you have to have your peak time and your deload time so you’re ready and you recover.

“So when I fought Dillian, he was like a world championship kickboxer, I trained until Thursday. It was a good fight, he beat me. Respect to you, well done.
“The when I was going through this boxing thing as an amateur, he was always talking rubbish on the internet.
“Like, ‘When you turn pro, I’m going to smoke you.’ This, that and that. And I’ve never been one to get on to the internet wars.
“So that fight was now like, ‘All of that internet stuff you’ve been talking, now you’re facing the real one.’ And then it was like north London, south London, Watford, south London.
“It was just a whole saga in London where it was just like, ‘Let’s see who the best of the best is.’

Anthony Joshua knocked Dillian Whyte out coldCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

“And it was kind of like that [Joe] Joyce and [Daniel] Dubois fight. You know that who is going to go on and be the next one. And that knockout just cemented [it for me].
“If you would’ve lumped £100 on this kid is going to go on an be a world champion, that would’ve been a short bet because I feel like that uppercut was the cement to where we was about to go.”
Whyte, who is currently gearing up for a crucial rematch with Alexander Povetkin, is one of only two boxers to drag Joshua into a trash-talking match.
AJ told Sports Illustrated: “The only times you’ve seen me talking recklessly is against Dillian Whyte and Jarrell Miller.

“Other than that I’m an ambassador of the sport. I’m trying to be clean, representing my sponsorships, represent DAZN properly, I try to stay away from the typical stereotype of a heavyweight boxer.
“It’s difficult but I have it in me to fire up and talk recklessly when needed.”
Joshua, 32, is currently preparing for a multi-million-pound heavyweight title unification fight with Tyson Fury.
Negotiations over the biggest fight in the history of British boxing are ongoing and both parties are expecting to finalise an agreement in the coming weeks.

Tyson Fury warns Anthony Joshua that fighting him is like wrestling a T-Rex More

CROATIA boss Zlatko Dalic angrily accused Uefa of a lack of “respect” after their dramatic draw to Italy in Leipzig.The Croats were on the verge of snatching a last 16 spot from the Italians in Group B thanks to Luka Modric’s 55th minute strike – moments after missing a penalty.Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic hit out at the ref after there were eight minutes added onCredit: GettyCroatia talisman Luka Modric was devastated after the defeatCredit: RexHowever, with 41 seconds remaining of EIGHT minutes added on, Mattia Zaccagni curled in a last-gasp beauty to all but knock Dalic’s men out of the Euros.Italy will now play Switzerland in the knock-out stages on June 29, while Croatia – on two points – are unlikely to squeeze through as a ranked third-place side.And Dalic raged: “The referee tore us apart the whole match, he wasn’t sent to that match by chance.”I don’t know where the referee found those eight minutes of stoppage time. I was talking about Uefa and Fifa, you didn’t support me in that.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”But that’s not the reason, I want to say it no matter how much some people criticise me, it’s a fact. I can’t escape the impression that this is so.”There were six substitutions, so three minutes maximum. And it was VAR minutes, so four minutes maximum, he put eight.”He continued: “We are a small country. Whether it is Uefa or Fifa, no one gives us too much thought. You cannot have eight minutes added time. It is a nonsense.“There weren’t too many breaks or fouls to justify that. Croatia needs to be respected and recognised because once again we played for almost three hours.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“Were it France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, that wouldn’t happen. We had a similar experience at the Qatar World Cup.”Modric – who became the oldest ever scorer at a Euros at 38 and 289 days – was distraught at the full-time whistle, admitting it was one of the toughest results of his career on his 178th international appearance.Watch moment frustrated Luka Modric walks out of interview after reporter’s question following Croatia’s Euro 2024 drawCroatia can only have themselves to blame after a woeful group stage run, losing 3-0 to Spain before conceding a late leveller to draw 2-2 with Albania.And Dalic – who could now lose his job after leading Croatia to a World Cup final and semi-final since taking charge in 2017 – added: “It really hurts.“It still hurts and it will over the coming days and months. It’s not easy. But when we look at the situation there are some days when it’s your day and just not your day.“We need to stick together in defeat with humility and keep our heads high. I hold my hands up, I’m the one to blame if we haven’t made it through. I just want to thank my players.”EURO 2024 LIVE: KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM GERMANY More

LEICESTER are tracking Brentford star Ivan Toney as they look towards life without Jamie Vardy.
Vardy continues to be the main goalscoring threat at the King Power and shows little sign of slowing up despite turning 34 last month.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney is attracting interest from Leicester after a fantastic seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

But boss Brendan Rodgers is realistic the Foxes have to find another regular goalscorer to lead their attack going forward – and Championship hotshot Toney is a major option on their list of targets.
The 24-year-old has been outstanding in his first season since making the step up from League One Peterborough, scoring 24 goals in 30 league games.
The Bees are hoping his goals can lead them to promotion to the Premier League.
But if they miss out they are well aware they would face a battle to keep him in West London.

There has been plenty of interest from the top flight clubs in the striker, with Newcastle and West Ham both monitoring his progress closely.
One of the reasons the Hammers did not sign a forward in January was because they would be keen to make a move for Toney in the summer if a deal was available.
But should Leicester firm up their interest with a bid, there is every chance they could offer the added incentive of Champions League football, which would be a trump card to play.
Brentford have preferred to concentrate on their promotion push having lost out in the play-offs last season – and if they make the top flight they would want to go into the season with Toney as their main man.

FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

But another year in the Championship would see them with little option but to sell, with a price-tag of around £25million likely to be what they would look for.
Toney revealed to SunSport in November that he compares himself to AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He said: “I’ve always liked Zlatan. I just love his confidence. Some people see it as arrogance but you must be like that to succeed. 
“I’m similar to Zlatan in both my confidence and the way I play. When he wants to do something, he just does it.
“I have some of that in my game and personality. And I believe I’ll be a Premier League striker.”

Fast Clube player Emerson Bacas nutmegs rival to score 70-yard goal in Amazonas state league More

MANCHESTER UNITED missed out on a January transfer target thanks to a 15-minute Zoom call.Callan McKenna joined Bournemouth on deadline day from Scottish club Queen’s Park, despite being on the brink of a move to Old Trafford instead.Callan McKenna has revealed he snubbed Manchester United after a Zoom call with Bournemouth bossesCredit: GettyThe 17-year-old Scot was being eyed by the Red Devils throughout January but ultimately decided that a move to the South Coast would better suit his career.McKenna had met Man Utd staff and was set to head to a training session when he was convinced to join Bournemouth instead after a video call with Neil Moss and Simon Francis.Francis, Bournemouth’s technical director, and Moss, the club’s goalkeeping coach, were clearly persuasive as it took them just 15 minutes to turn the young shot-stopper’s head.Asked what made him choose the Cherries by the club’s official matchday programme, McKenna said: “A 15-minute Zoom call with Simon Francis and Neil Moss.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”I travelled to Manchester and met the people from Manchester United the day before deadline day.“That night, I had the Zoom call and was invested in coming here.“The following morning, the guys from United came to take me to the training ground and I told them it wasn’t what I wanted.“They tried their best to persuade me, but I wanted to come here.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe choice has paid off so far with the youngster earning himself a spot on the bench in the Premier League three times since arriving at the club.The Scotland youth international wasn’t only convinced by Francis and Moss, but also has his heart set on replicating the careers of two fellow Premier League keepers who came through the ranks at Bournemouth.Manchester United’s fall from glory since Sir Alex Ferguson He added: “I thought I would be closer to the first team [at Bournemouth].”And you only need to look at some of the goalkeepers Bournemouth have brought through, like Mark Travers and Aaron Ramsdale. You want to follow in their footsteps.“Coming here sounded perfect and it has been so far. It’s not just about the badge or saying you play for this or that team, that’s for later in my career.“Hopefully in 20 years’ time, you can say you’ve done X, Y or Z. But for the here and now, Bournemouth is perfect for me.“It was difficult to adjust at the start, but I love it now. This is my life now and I feel I’m progressing well so, hopefully, I can continue to do that.“Hopefully coming here will put me on the way to eventually playing in the Premier League.”READ MORE SUN STORIESTravers has made over 75 appearances for Bournemouth since he broke through at the academy and is now a four-time international with the Republic of Ireland.While Aaron Ramsdale made a name for himself at the Vitality Stadium before joining Sheffield United and later earning himself a huge move to Arsenal.Mark Travers has made over 75 appearances for BournemouthCredit: AlamyAaron Ramsdale signed for Arsenal in 2021 after breaking through at Bournemouth earlier in his careerCredit: Getty More

ANDY ROBERTSON has put up an impassioned defence of “best friend” Trent Alexander-Arnold after the Liverpool star was jeered at Anfield. A section of the Reds’ support booed the departing full-back during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.Andy Robertson has spoken out in support of Trent Alexander-ArnoldCredit: BSkyBThe Liverpool fullback was booed by some home fans during Sunday’s draw with ArsenalCredit: AlamyAlexander-Arnold looks set to join Real Madrid when his deal with the Reds expires this summer. The 26-year-old was met with jeers when coming on as a substitute against the Gunners. And his teammate Robertson – who has played alongside the England full-back since 2017 – admitted the reaction “wasn’t nice”.Robertson told Sky Sports: “It’s not nice to see a friend get booed and it wasn’t nice, but we can’t tell people how to act. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL”I can tell you how I feel about it – I’m extremely proud of what he’s done for this club.”I love him as a friend, I love him as a player and he’ll be missed as one of my best friends in the game.”Alexander-Arnold has been on Liverpool’s books since the age of six.He has played over 350 times for the Reds, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League. Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKBut a section of Liverpool’s support are frustrated at the way he’s handled his departure from the club. Robertson continued: “There’s a lot of emotion around it. Slot sends message to Liverpool fans who booed Trent Alexander-Arnold but vows to keep playing him”It’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you how to feel and you don’t tell me how to feel about it.”All I can tell you is how I feel about it. First of all, I’m disappointed to lose my best mate, and we’ve done it all together. “He’s an amazing player and an amazing person.”He’s made me a better player, that’s from the bottom of my heart. “He’s took me to levels I never knew existed. He kept pushing me through the good years and he’s made a choice.”His legacy at this club is there for everyone to see, the trophies he’s won and the moments he’s had in history will always be there. “It is an emotional decision and Trent… it’s not been an easy one. But he’s made the decision.”Slot’s viewLiverpool boss Arne Slot also defended the full-back following Arsenal’s fightback on Sunday.Slot said: “In general and in life, the good thing about living in Europe is that everybody can have their opinion and that’s the same here in Liverpool.”There were people that were not so happy with him.Read More on The Sun”There were a lot of people who were happy with him, they clapped for him.”A few of them booed. I think everybody is allowed to have their opinion.” More