ANTHONY JOSHUA says Floyd Mayweather’s presence in the crowd inspired him to pull off his signature move against Kubrat Pulev.
The 31-year-old returned to the ring for the first time in a year against the Bulgarian – KO’ing the brute in the ninth round.
AJ pulled off Mayweather’s signature move against Pulev
Mayweather has made a career out of delivering the pull counter punchCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Heavyweight champ AJ looked back to his best in the December bout, breezing through the rounds by landing a series of punishing blows.
Mayweather was one of 1,000 people in attendance at Wembley Arena to see Joshua retain his WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
And Joshua claims he felt obliged to pull off Mayweather’s signature pull counter ‘in his honour.’
Uploading a clip to his Twitter, Joshua said: “It was the first time we were allowed fans back in stadiums and Mayweather was in the stadium.
“It’s an honour to have him in the house, I respect him highly for what he’s achieved.
“He came to see me perform and I pulled out one of his favourite moves which is the pull counter.
“If you watch boxing, you’ll know that’s one of Mayweather’s signature moves.
“Having him in the house was an honour and I felt I had to give him a little something to remember.”
The pair celebrated Joshua’s win together after the fight before Mayweather gave him rave reviews.
Joshua connects against the Bulgarian with a hefty right
Mayweather headed to England to watch AJ in action against Pulev
The pair of boxing legends embraced after his win
But the undefeated American superstar refused to back his mate when quizzed on who will come out on top in Joshua’s blockbuster bout with Tyson Fury.
He said: “We talking about Anthony Joshua, hell of a fighter. Tyson Fury, hell of a fighter.
“It doesn’t matter who wins, if I’m not getting paid that’s none of my business.”
Tyson Fury warns Anthony Joshua that fighting him is like wrestling a T-Rex
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
