ANTHONY JOSHUA jokingly took aim at a mixed martial arts reporter after his knockout of Francis Ngannou.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion locked horns with the MMA man mountain in a lucrative crossover clash in Saudi Arabia early on Saturday morning.
AJ gave the former UFC heavyweight king a brutal reminder of the levels of the Sweet Science with a vicious second-round KO in their Riyadh rumble.
The Watford warrior fielded questions from the assembled media in the post-fight press conference and was quick to recognise the voice of one of the reporters in attendance.
Shortly MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn began asking him a question, AJ asked: “Did you interview Ngannou?
“I recognise your voice. Was it like a one-on-one interview?
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“Yeah, I recognise your voice. You thought he was going to beat me, innit?
“I could tell by the question, I could tell by the questions you were asking.”
After Eddie Hearn revealed to Joshua the outlet Bohn worked for, Joshua broke into laughter and said: “Is he MMA Junkie?
“See what I’m saying? I know. His outlet is MMA Junkie, I can recognise that voice.
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“I was thinking, ‘Whoever this guy is, I know I’m gonna see him one day.’ I tell people, ‘I watch everything. I study everything.'”
Veteran reporter Bohn took the playful ribbing well and reflected on it on X.
The Canadian wrote: “Anthony Joshua just called me out at the post-fight presser for being the MMA guy in the room.”
He then added on Instagram: “Fair play.”
Victory over Ngannou was Joshua’s third stoppage in his last four fights since back-to-back defeats to former pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk.
Immediately after having his hand raised, he said: “This is the thing with boxing, it only takes one shot in the heavyweight division.
“You should always keep searching for better.
“For me, I don’t know if I’m coming into my peak, I’m pushing day by day.
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“Who knows where it will take me.
“Imagine in five years I won’t be fighting any more, this will all be said and done, so I’m trying to make the most of it.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
