LENNOX LEWIS has stood by his criticism of Anthony Joshua – but praised his “tactical” display against Andy Ruiz Jr.
The boxing legend, 54, hailed the British star for sticking to his game plan as he beat the Mexican to win back his world titles.
Anthony Joshua became a two-time world heavyweight champion when he beat Andy Ruiz JrCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Joshua has been engaged in a war of words with Lewis since he was accused of not being “fully prepared” for his first fight against Ruiz.
The Watford-born bruiser called the three-time heavyweight champion a “clown” for publicly criticising him.
And Lewis urged him to worry less about insulting him and more about being remembered as a trophy hunter.
Despite not seeing eye-to-eye with Joshua, the retired champion claimed he only speaks the truth about him.
Speaking to his 560,000 Twitter followers, he said: “I’ve ALWAYS spoken the truth. When I’ve praised AJ… it was the truth.
“When I’ve criticised him, it was also the truth. Seems that when we agree, it’s the truth. When we don’t, I’m a bitter hater.
“You will never find peace this way. Grown men can agree to disagree.”
Former world champion Barry McGuigan claimed watching AJ in Saudi Arabia was like watching the great Muhammad Ali.
But some critics are still not convinced by the British ace as he just “ran away for 12 rounds”.
Speaking in defence of Joshua, Lewis said: “Every fight isn’t going to be a KO.
“I thought AJ fought a good tactical fight and didn’t fall into the trap of trying to mix it up in exchanges.
“This was a good addition to his experience. He also wisely unpacked his jab for this one.
“Think because boxing is a blood sport that’s just what some people want. If they don’t get it, they get bored.
Lennox Lewis claimed on Twitter that he only speaks the truth about AJCredit: Getty – Contributor
“It’s understandable, but not many fighters who approach the sweet science come out unscathed with this philosophy. Each opponent is his/her own puzzle to solve.
“I understand that people want blood, but as a fighter, you have to be disciplined enough to wait for the opportunities to open up.
“Sometimes they don’t come. When that happens you play it safe and stick to the game plan.”
Inside Anthony Joshua’s celebrations as he chants ‘can I get a two-time’ after Ruiz win
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
