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      Inside Anthony Joshua’s long-running feud with ‘clown’ Lennox Lewis and why pair refuse to speak to each other

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      HEAVYWEIGHT giants Anthony Joshua and Lennox Lewis have been feuding for years.Joshua, 33, is preparing to return to the ring on Saturday night when he takes on Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena.
      Anthony Joshua flew out to see Lennox Lewis after winning gold at the OlympicsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      He ended up snubbing Lewis’ coaching offer when he turned professionalCredit: Getty
      The Olympic gold medallist is attempting to bounce back from successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
      But irrespective of the outcome against Franklin, one man AJ is unlikely to impress is British legend Lewis.
      The 57-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
      Lewis beat the likes of Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno and Vitali Kitschko during his sensational reign at the top of the division in the 1990s and early 2000s.
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      And he could have remained in the sport as a coach following Joshua’s gold medal win at London 2012.
      AJ flew to Jamaica to meet Lewis as he prepared to turn professional the following year.

      But things did not work out, with Lewis telling the Undefeated Podcast: “We talked about my career and he loved listening to the stories and all the different things that I went through.
      “I said, ‘I’d love to help you,’ I don’t want to be his promoter, I’m not a promoter, but there’s things I can teach him.
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      Joshua and Lewis meeting in 2013Credit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshua
      “He phoned me, he said, ‘I really want you to help me.’ I said, ‘Okay, good.’
      “Then I didn’t hear from him again. I heard that he picked some other people to help him, he was doing his professional career and that was it.”
      Joshua snubbed Lewis for Tony Sims as he embarked on his pro career with the Essex-based coach.
      Sims would help AJ claim his first world title, before he was replaced by Rob McCracken in 2016.
      And in 2017, after Joshua’s win over Wladimir Klitschko, Lewis took his first public swipe at his fellow countryman.
      He said: “Me and Evander Holyfield were there actually [at Wembley] for German TV when he boxed Klitschko.
      “We were outside the dressing room [after the fight]. We wanted to big him up as first champion after the Olympics. Now he’s beat the big man, we’re there to congratulate him.
      “Security brushed us out of the way and brushed him in there. He was like, ‘Len–’ and gone. They pushed him in.
      “I said, ‘Okay, cool. They don’t want me around. They don’t want me near to him.’ The promoter, [Eddie Hearn] definitely the promoter, no doubt about that.
      “You allow your promoter to do that to the last undisputed, to me and Holyfield, and we’re there to big him up.
      “You’ve showed me your position, I’m not gonna be running after a person if I know their position.”
      He also criticised Joshua’s inability to make a fight with then WBC champion Deontay Wilder, saying to Boxing Scene: “He wants to go around making money.
      Joshua was with coach Tony Sims, far right, for the first 17 pro fights of his careerCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      “I think that’s going to be a downfall for him. He has to stay with it, he can’t be in the background.
      “If he wants to be champion, he has to act like a champion.”
      Since then, Joshua has suffered three professional losses – to Andy Ruiz and Usyk twice.
      And it was after the Ruiz defeat when his rivalry with Lewis bubbled to the surface once more.
      Speaking about Joshua, Lewis suggested he should change trainer again, tweeting: “Too many things went wrong in that fight to say he was properly prepared for Ruiz or the situation he found himself in.
      “AJ found himself asking questions with no answers. They couldn’t make the adjustments…
      “I say you can’t go to university with your third-grade teacher.
      “They won’t have the answers you need at that level. You need a professor by then.”
      Joshua labelled Lewis a clown in a 2019 interviewCredit: Sky Sports via Twitter
      This time Joshua responded, telling Sky Sports: “Lennox is a clown. I don’t respect Lennox. Me and Lennox are not the same.
      “My legacy is to sit back and enjoy the younger generation coming up, and not to be involved.
      “Just to appreciate what it takes to get there. Lennox isn’t like that. Me and Lennox are cut from a different cloth.”
      Lewis did not take these comments lying down, replying on social media by pointing out that he became undisputed champion – something Joshua is still yet to achieve.
      He said: “Wow! He’s right! We ARE cut from a different cloth.
      “Undisputed wasn’t something I ‘worried’ about. It was something I went after until it was accomplished!
      “Disappointed in AJ’s words but I understand that this ‘jealousy’ narrative was only fabricated AFTER I criticised them for Wilder negotiations. All of a sudden I’m a hater.
      “Ask who benefits from such a simple-minded narrative? Not AJ. Not me.”
      Not one to back down, Joshua posted his own message on Instagram.
      He said: “Always say it how it is. A clown is a clown. He can wipe his make-up off, but his heart remains the same.
      “No squares in my circle, cuz. G s*** only.”
      Lewis commented that his “door remains open” to Joshua despite the beef, but that “disrespect is not the answer to his frustrations”.
      After a month of quiet, Joshua then reflected on the back and forth with Lewis.
      He said: “Lewis has never reached out… The only times I’ve ever heard of Lewis making contact is via the internet.
      “Who does take time to call me, and is not so much involved in the internet stuff, is Wladimir Klitschko.
      “Calls me, advises me. He’s not doing it for the clout. He just calls me man-to-man.
      “I just feel like, when it comes to me, it’s kind of different, ‘Anthony’s dodging, Anthony Joshua’s not this, he needs to do that.’
      “Why are you always attacking me, rather than reaching out like Klitschko and giving a young man advice when I need it?

      “I’m not two-faced. You poke me, you poke me, sooner or later you’re gonna hear what I have to say about you.”
      Lewis again replied that Joshua was “most definitely wrong” and the pair have avoided speaking about each other over the last four years.
      Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight championCredit: Getty More

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      Boxer David Haye knew his career was over just 35 seconds into his rematch against Tony Bellew

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      FORMER world champion David Haye knew his boxing career was finished just 35 seconds into his rematch with Tony Bellew.The now 42-year-old was dropped three times before being stopped in the fifth back at The O2 on May 5, 2018, leading to his retirement a few weeks later.
      David Haye knew just 35 seconds into his final fight his career was overCredit: PA:Press Association
      The 40-year-old was dropped three times before being stopped in the fifth against Tony Bellew in May 2018Credit: Getty Images
      ‘Hayemaker’ had suffered a ruptured Achilles during the first fight with the Liverpudlian a year previous, forcing his corner to stop the clash in the eleventh.
      But despite coming into the second bout as heavy favourite, the Londoner admits he realised he was finished as a boxer inside the very first round of the one-sided affair.
      Speaking to the Daily Star, Haye said: “I knew about 35 seconds into the first round of that second fight with Tony Bellew that this was it. “It just felt all wrong, it was really weird. I’ve never had it before. It just didn’t feel like a boxing match, it felt really strange.
      “I was kind of posturing and hoping something would click into how it always was, and it just didn’t click in at any stage.
      “Even in the early rounds, the rounds I was winning, it just felt that everything was an effort. Even to move and bounce, it was all an effort.
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      “I’d see opportunities after they’d gone, whereas before I’d see it and just deal with it. But it just got to that point where I just couldn’t see and it was too late. “Where I’d normally slip and counter I was just getting hit.
      “It was a feeling I’ve never had before and would never like to have ever again to be brutally honest!”
      The ex-two-weight title holder continued: “I’m glad it ended as conclusively as it did so it doesn’t leave me with any thoughts that ‘maybe one day I can do a little bit better, if it wasn’t for my Achilles then I could have done it.
      “I knew that was it. I can remember that feeling of ‘that’s it, you’ve pushed it as far as it’s humanly possible to push it, you’ve given it a good go, you’ve given yourself the best chance, you’re as healthy as you’ve ever been, you’re as strong, you’re as fit’ – but it’s not about strength or fitness, it’s about how much fight your body can fight. “And once that flame’s out, it’s out for good.”
      In 2021, Haye did return to the ring for an exhibition match against pal Joe Fournier.
      He won by unanimous decision after eight rounds, but despite admitting he enjoyed it there’s no chance he will return again
      “The itch was there for me at the time, I really enjoyed it,” Haye said of his exhibition bout.
      “I did like a month’s boxing training for that, I don’t usually do boxing training anymore I just do weight training and circuits and general all-around fitness so I had a month to do some sparring and general boxing training – really got the juices flowing.
      “But, since then I’ve packed up the gloves so the vibe’s gone now [laughs]. I’m just enjoying my world tour at the moment, just bumping around enjoying life,” Haye concluded.
      Credit: PA:Press Association More

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      Anthony Joshua slams ‘clown’ Carl Froch and Amir Khan for ‘talking s*** about me’ as Brit prepares for Franklin showdown

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA delivered a vicious verbal jab to a host of legendary British boxers who have criticised him ahead of his comeback.AJ returns to the ring on Saturday hoping to relaunch his career against American Jermaine Franklin at the O2.
      Anthony Joshua (left) makes his comeback against Jermaine (right) on SaturdayCredit: PA
      Carl Froch is one former star to question whether AJ is coming to the end of his careerCredit: Twitter @Carl_Froch
      Amir Khan had a famous fallout with Anthony Joshua in the pastCredit: Doug Seeburg
      The star suffered the first defeat of his career when he came up against 25/1 underdog Andy Ruiz Jr in New York back in 2019.
      The Englishman was left battered and bruised after he was knocked to the canvas four times by the hard-hitting Mexican before he went on to beat him in the rematch to regain the heavyweight titles and then defended them against Kubrat Pulev.
      Joshua was then outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as he lost his belts for a second time before he suffered a repeat in August against the Ukrainian and now knows nothing but victory over Franklin will do.
      He has vowed to put his opponent into “a grave of his own digging” – but he has also come out swinging against his critics.
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      Retired icons Johnny Nelson, Tony Bellew, Carl Froch and Amir Khan have all cast doubt on whether Joshua can climb back to the top of the mountain and cast aspersions on whether he is coming to the end of his career.
      But AJ blasted back: “These people don’t get me. Not on my wavelength. Not at my level.
      “I don’t use boxing as a platform to rant and rave and disrespect other fighters.
      “If these people have something to say, say it to me. They have my number. Call me.
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      “If I have something to say about you , I’ll say it face to face.
      “I won’t talk about my enemies on line. I prefer to stay silent. These people want me to talk back but why should I get dragged in by clowns?”
      Joshua continued: “When it was Carl talking s*** about me I messaged him direct to ask what it was all about.
      “When it was Amir and that s*** about me with his wife why did he go online? At least message me.
      “And then when I see these guys at a fight or somewhere they’re coming up and saying ‘hi AJ how are you?’ How does that work?
      “Where I come from it’s not about getting clouts it’s about results.”
      Credit: SUNSPORT
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      Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin live stream and TV guide – how to watch massive heavyweight clash

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA faces American contender Jermaine Franklin this weekend in a huge heavyweight bout. AJ is looking to reassert himself at the top of the heavyweight division but needs to get a run of wins under his belt.
      Anthony Joshua takes on Jermaine Franklin at the O2 this weekendCredit: PA
      After losing his three belts to Usyk, and subsequently failing to win them back, even Joshua’s own promoter Eddie Hearn says his man’s star has fallen.
      Back where it all began at the O2 on Saturday, however, Joshua can etch his name back into the minds of boxing fans.
      Potential fights with Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder await, and there’s also been talk of a big rematch with rival Dillian Whyte.
      But another loss will derail those plans, and Franklin will be looking to change his life forever with an upset victory.

      How can I watch Joshua vs Franklin?
      Joshua vs Franklin will be shown live on DAZN in the UK.
      You can live stream the action from the DAZN app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
      Credit: SUNSPORT
      🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
      Can I watch DAZN on my TV?

      On March 23, DAZN launched their first TV channel on Sky known as DAZN 1 HD.
      The channel will show a 24/7 schedule of live and catch-up content including 50-plus fights a year.
      DAZN will be on Sky channel 429 in the UK and Ireland.
      To access the channel, you will need a DAZN subscription which will also give you access to the DAZN app which is available to download for free onto your mobile or tablet.
      DAZN subscriptions start from £9.99 a month or £99 per year. More

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      I’m a busty boxing ring girl and I’m earning NINE TIMES what I used to – but I really rake it in selling sexy pics

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      RING GIRL Apollonia Llewellyn has revealed she earns NINE TIMES more than she used to from being in boxing.The 23-year-old began working in the sport as a teenager when she was employed by Ultimate White Collar boxing.
      Apollonia Llewellyn is a model and influencerCredit: Instagram
      She has also returned to boxing as a Misfits ring girlCredit: Instagram
      Back then she was earning just £100 for a night’s work.
      As a result, she left the ring-girl industry at the age of 19 to focus on modelling and building her social media profile.
      But now she has returned to boxing following the rise of Misfits – which involves influencer “fighting”.
      And she has revealed the KSI-led organisation pays her a lucrative £900 per show – while it has also boosted her online presence.
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      Speaking to Entrepreneur, she said: “Now I am working with Misfits directly because they want to keep the same girls for every fight. I get paid around £900, which is about $1,100, per match.
      “They’ve also mentioned that they will put us on a salary going forward.
      “Taking this ring-girl gig paid off almost immediately. I posted promoting the first Misfit fight I did on Instagram and TikTok and my follower count went up by nearly 10,000 across both platforms.
      “I’ve also noticed that when I post pictures in my ring-girl outfits, they get more interactions and usually it’s KSI fans in the comments.”
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      She rakes in money through selling pictures onlineCredit: Instagram
      Apollonia first got into the ring-girl world as a teenager but left due to the small paymentsCredit: Apollonia Llewellyn via Business Insider
      Apollonia also has an OnlyFans account that costs £25 to sign upCredit: Instagram
      However, Apollonia’s main source of income does not come from boxing.
      Her primary salary is made up from posting sexy pictures online.
      Back in 2020, she revealed she earns £10,000 PER MONTH selling the images.
      And she takes £25 every time someone subscribes to her OnlyFans account.
      She also keeps up her influencer brand with two Instagrams and three TikToks per day.
      Apollonia also earns from modelling shoots.
      But she has not played down the impact of Misfits boxing in enhancing her reputation.
      And she admits a huge amount of that is due to KSI being the frontman for the operation.
      She added: “The power of KSI’s fanbase has also impacted my recent experiences as a ring girl.
      “The fans will ask to take pictures with me after a match even though I just hold the ring card.
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      “My brother watches all these guys on YouTube and told me to get a bottle of Prime – an energy drink brand that KSI and Logan Paul own – while I was there.
      “I took a picture with the bottle and now Prime has sent me 10 cases. I feel like a lot of brand deals will come out of this work as well.”
      KSI is the YouTuber that had the vision for Misfits boxingCredit: Getty
      Apollonia makes most of her money from selling picturesCredit: Instagram
      She has praised the impact of KSI on the increase in her social media profileCredit: Instagram More

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      ‘Pick the phone up’ – Anthony Joshua offered British blockbuster with Joe Joyce in the summer by promoter Frank Warren

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA has been told to pick up the phone if he is serious about fighting Joe Joyce.The two-time heavyweight champion returns on Saturday at the O2 Arena against Jermaine Franklin.
      Anthony Joshua has been told to pick up the phone if he is serious about fighting Joe JoyceCredit: Rex
      Joyce is among the names Joshua wants to fightCredit: Getty
      But victory would put him back on track for a massive 2023 and he named Joyce among those he is interested in fighting.
      In response, Warren told talkSPORT: “Well he hasn’t got to go far if he wants to fight him, just pick the phone up.
      “Provided my man comes through and he comes through, we could do that in the summer. Not a problem.”
      Joyce, 37, returns on April 15 against China’s Zhilei Zhang, 39, and is the WBO mandatory challenger.
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      Meanwhile Joshua, 33, looks to bounce back from consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, 36, in his must-win comeback bout.
      After Usyk’s title unification against Tyson Fury, 34, collapsed, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn hinted at reviving talks with the Gypsy King.
      And American superstar Deontay Wilder, 37, is also a free agent now, leaving Joshua with three super-fights on the table.
      He said: “If you were to ask me what my ambitions are, one is to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.
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      “The second is my motivation to make money and the third is to fight Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Joe Joyce.”
      Despite Hearn’s hopes to kickstart negotiations with Fury’s team, Joshua believes a fight with Wilder is more likely.
      He told told Dan Rafael: “It seems like Deontay Wilder’s more realistic, because I just think that the stuff that goes on with Fury is a bit crazy, man.
      “I’ve been in this situation for a long time – even with them two I’ve been in this same situation – but I just feel like Deontay’s coming to a stage in his career where he’s realistic.
      “It’s not like, ‘I just want this fight’, I think he needs it. So that’s more realistic if I’m honest with you, especially with the place that we’re both at in our careers.”
      Joshua ahead of his fight with Jermaine FranklinCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More

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      Conor McGregor responds after Carl Froch says he would BEAT two-time UFC champ in the cage as he is ‘too small’

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      CONOR McGREGOR was left in hysterics after Carl Froch claimed he could beat him in MMA. The pair have rowed in the past but Froch took it one step further when he claimed he had the beating of the ex-UFC champion in the cage.
      Carl Froch with boxing promoter Eddie HearnCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Conor McGregor called to fight FrochCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      He said on his YouTube channel: “I’d fight Conor McGregor in the cage.
      “I could be getting myself in trouble here or into a position I can’t wiggle out of, but I think I’d take him on in the cage. He’s too small.”
      McGregor hit back with a laughing face and tweeted promoter Eddie Hearn: “Get this signed up lad.”
      The Irishman, 34, has boxed professionally just once before, losing to American legend Floyd Mayweather, 45, in 2017.
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      Froch, 45, commentated that night and was full of criticism for McGregor.
      And the former featherweight and lightweight UFC champ fired back last year in a furious rant about Froch.
      McGregor tweeted: “I’ll grab his head and twist it clean off at a 1er with my bare hands.
      “Little wally of a thing I’ll slap you around you little toffee nose toss pot.”
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      Froch – who retired from boxing in 2014 – insisted it would be a mismatch if the two were to fight in the ring.
      He told Boxing UK: “He’s not a boxer, he doesn’t want to fight me, he’d get absolutely f***** up, but he might do the same to me in the cage and that is why we are both champion in our own right.
      “He knows, if he wants a roll around, he knows where to come, but he ain’t going to want this smoke.”
      Floyd Mayweathe beat Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: GETTY More

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      Anthony Joshua blasts ex-coach Robert Garcia and slams critics as ‘clowns’ ahead of make-or-break fight against Franklin

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      ANTHONY JOSHUA has lashed out as his former coach for a lack of respect and his two-faced critics for being “clowns”.In the aftermath of Joshua’s second loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August, outgoing Robert Garcia ended his one-fight role as trainer with parting shots against AJ’s training methods and close-knit team.
      Anthony Joshua lashed out as his ex-coach for a lack of respect and his two-faced criticsCredit: /Mark Robinson#3/ Matchroom Boxing
      Joshua with old coach Robert GarciaCredit: Getty
      Ahead of Saturday’s comeback bout with Jermaine Franklin, a handful of TV analysts have questioned the quality of the American opponent, doubted Joshua’s remaining resolve and called for him to retire if he suffers a fourth defeat.
      But the 33-year-old London 2012 Olympic legend has come out swinging for his former coach and the commentators who smile to his face and stab him in the back.
      Asked if Garcia’s snipes were fair, he said: “When it comes to your head coach it is important to keep things in-house, especially when you are talking about your fighters.
      “There are things I didn’t like about some of my old coaches that I could talk about but I don’t.
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      “No one is perfect but, when you come together in arms to go to war, there should be a level of respect.
      “I have worked with Sean Murphy and John Oliver in the amateurs, all the GB coaches, Tony Sims and Rob McCracken in the pros, Angel Fernandez, Joby Clayton, Robert Garcia and Derrick James and Garcia is the first one to say the things he said. I didn’t like that, I found it weird.”
      Joshua brought in Garcia for August’s rematch against Usyk.
      But after the Brit lost via split decision, the American coach said: “I don’t have to lie about things.
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      “The first week that I was there, I told his management team ‘I need to go home, fly me home cause I don’t wanna be here.’
      Credit: SUNSPORT
      🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
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      “There were so many new people – who believed were not going to be there to help out – I told them ‘I need to go home’.”
      Former world champions such as Carl Froch and Johnny Nelson have been ruthless about AJ’s defeats to Andy Ruiz and Usyk.
      Both have earned the right to their opinion but Joshua wonders why they don’t message him directly and hopes they are as forthright in person.
      He added: “These people that talk about me are looking for me to say something back but I don’t have much to say because these people are not on my level.
      “What do I want to entertain a clown for? If someone has something to say to me, they can call me, they have my number.
      “I don’t need to go online and voice my opinions on my enemies, I prefer to be silent.
      “If I’ve something to say about you, you’ll see me face-to-face.”
      Froch seemed to turn on AJ after he axed Froch’s friend and mentor McCracken.
      But when Amir Khan went on social media in 2017 to suggest AJ was romantically involved with his wife, it was too bizarre to get caught up.
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      Joshua said: “I messaged Froch direct and said ‘what you talking s*** about me for? Message me. With Khan and that s*** with his missus, why was he going online?
      “Just message me if you have something to say. I find it awkward because where I come from, it’s not about chasing clout, it is about results.”
      Anthony Joshua celebrates with Carl Froch in 2017Credit: Getty More