JOSE MOURINHO revealed he was invited to watch Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr by Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
But instead the Special One will have to watch it on the telly – because he has the small matter of a Premier League clash at home to Burnley just hours earlier.
Jose Mourinho was invited to watch Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr 2 in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
AJ will be desperate to win his heavyweight world title belts back from the Mexican-American tonightCredit: AFP or licensors
Mourinho, 56, takes charge of his fifth game as Tottenham boss when the Clarets visit North London.
But if he hadn’t accepted Daniel Levy’s offer to replace Mauricio Pochettino last month, the Portuguese chief would surely have been in the Middle East after his royal invite.
The Special One said: “That’s the only bad thing for me in getting the job at Tottenham – that I’m not going to be there.
“I was invited by the Prince to be there, but I prefer to be in the match against Burnley.”
The Spurs boss admitted his admiration for boxing and particularly AJ – but refused to make a prediction for the Clash on the Dunes.
Joshua knows winning back his world heavyweight belts is critical for his career, describing a defeat tonight as “catastrophic”, and has shed the pounds as a result – unlike opponent Ruiz.
Mourinho added: “I’m not an expert. I just love the sport.
“I like Anthony very much because he’s a great kid and I hope he wins.
“But in sport you can lose. So let’s see.”
After almost a year out of managerial work, Mourinho took on the Spurs job and started with three wins out of three.
He suffered his first defeat of his tenure on Wednesday night at the hands of former employers Manchester United.
And to prove his determination to succeed in his new role, Mourinho slept at the Spurs training ground that night to help begin preparations for when Sean Dyche’s men come to the capital.
Tottenham are currently eighth in the Premier League with five wins, five draws and five defeats so far this term and are closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.
Mourinho said: “I didn’t go home, so the next morning at eight o’clock I was here doing what? Burnley.
“Analysing Burnley, trying to organise the training session, trying to organise the meeting, choosing the clips to show them the most clear possible way Burnley works.
“That’s the way you have to do it in football. Don’t accept in a passive way.
“It’s obvious we have problems but we have players with quality, a great human dressing room.
“I like the guys very much but we need to change that feeling of feeling sorry about our mistakes and feeling sad with our bad results.”
Joshua weighed in significantly lighter than his opponent for the Clash on the DunesCredit: AFP or licensors
Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr face off and weigh in ahead of their big fight in Saudi Arabia
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
