THE war of words between Anthony Joshua and Kubrat Pulev continued backstage, well after their publicised row at the weigh-in.
Both boxers were pulled apart on stage, ahead of their heavyweight bout on Saturday night.
And they still disagreed with each other afterwards – with the Bulgarian delivering some fiery words towards the British champ in unseen footage recorded by Matchroom Boxing.
As the pair stood next to one another, Pulev delivered his chilling prediction.
“Tomorrow will be a good day for me,” he said while beating his fists together. “I respect you, my friend but I don’t hate you.”
Pulev then pointed towards someone in Joshua’s camp and claimed: “But I am a better boxer, listen to him, he’s smart, experienced…”
He adds: “Tomorrow…” And then roars in Joshua’s face – with the pair laughing together before pumping fists.
On Friday at the weigh-in, security stepped in to pull the two apart after a war of words threatened to escalate.
The enraged Brit called Pulev a ‘pussy’ after being repeatedly taunted.
Eddie Hearn later confessed the brawl was NOT staged and he ‘has the skid marks’ to prove it as security guards held back members of Pulev’s team.
On the scuffle, AJ said: “I don’t know what sparked that. That’s just how we are.
“He has spoken a lot of rubbish and now he has to back it up.
“I have seen so many fighters talk a load of rubbish and then get smacked up.
“If you don’t know boxing then that sort of thing could intimidate you but I could have whacked him up there but I have to save it for tomorrow.”
Hearn then revealed what was said, saying: “Pulev just kept saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’ so Joshua went ‘What do you mean tomorrow?’
“Pulev said ‘Tomorrow I’m going to beat you and show you’.
“Pulev kept talking so Joshua said ‘Come over here and say it’.
“Pulev said again ‘tomorrow I’ll beat you’ and AJ said ‘What? You? Disrespect me and I’ll show you’.
“I can’t remember exactly what was said. Then AJ said ‘You’re a pussy’.
“They wouldn’t stop.
“Pulev said ‘I respect you’ and that dampened it.
“Pulev then said ‘Tomorrow I will beat you, I will finish you, I will end you. You know I’m better than you’.
“AJ wasn’t rattled.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
