ANTHONY JOSHUA apologised for this part in his post-fight brawl with Jermaine Franklin.
AJ and Franklin were involved in a heated bust-up immediately following their heavyweight clash.
Franklin had taken issue after Joshua reached his arm out to pat him on the head.
The pair then got into a hugging match with tempers beginning to escalate before they were pulled apart by security.
Joshua later apologised for his role in the ugly scenes, also referencing his tantrum following his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
He said: “Last time I grabbed the mic, it was a bit chaotic. I’m calm, I appreciate everyone coming out this evening,
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“Inside the ring, it is a different energy so I apologise to those watching.
“I respect Jermaine, Eddie [Hearn], thank you for this opportunity. Fans, thank you as well.
“It was important to win. Jermaine has a good duck-and-dive style, somebody else from Britain will probably knock him out, respect to him, he did well.
“I should have knocked him out but it is done. On to the next.
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“He is here to prove himself, not roll over. I wish I could have knocked him out.”
AJ won the fight thanks to a unanimous points victory.
In terms of his next fight, Joshua has called out champion Tyson Fury for a hotly-anticipated Battle of Britain.
The 33-year-old had asked the 19,000-strong O2 Arena crowd who they wanted to see him face next, with the crowd chanting “Fury” as one.
To this, he responded: “You know me, I like to provide for the fans. I know who the fans want. Who do the fans want?
“They said Fury? The ball is in his court, I will 100 per cent be honoured to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“I stand here and say that proudly, it would be an honour, so wherever you are if you’re listening. You know my management, you know my promoter.
“We’ve had dialect before, so let’s continue this and hopefully we can get this on sooner rather than later. We ain’t getting any younger.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
