New footage shows Anthony Joshua appearing to taunt a fan just SECONDS before he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois - but his trainer reveals reason behind the gesture
New footage shows Anthony Joshua appearing to taunt a fan just SECONDS before he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois - but his trainer reveals the reason behind the gesture.
Daniel Dubois delivered a knockout blow in the fifth round to stun Anthony Joshua and the 96,000 spectators inside Wembley on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old was sent flying by Dubois in the fifth round after already hitting the canvas three times before in the previous rounds.
Joshua appeared less focused than his opponent from the start and in the fifth round, he was spotted looking out into the crowd and sticking out his tongue just moments before he was knocked out by his opponent's right hand.
In the video posted by TNT Sports, Joshua can be seen turning his head out to the crowd and sticking his tongue out as the referee separates the two heavyweights.
Many social media users were quick to accuse the boxing veteran of taunting the crowd, however, his trainer Ben Davison was quick to dispel these rumors and give a real explanation.
When asked about the viral clip, Davison explained in his post-fight press conference that:
'I was asking for something from him and he sort of said ‘I’m OK’ and let me know he’s OK by actually talking in there,'
'And then he came back before the last round and just said to me ‘These are the moments that we live for’ and talked about rolling the dice – and that’s what he did.' he added.
That didn't however stop boxing fans from taking to social media and brutally mocking Joshua for his actions just seconds before his KO loss.
One fan wrote on 'X': ' Karma is a B****h.'
A second simply asked 'What was AJ thinking at this moment?'.
A third added: 'Come on AJ, didn’t we learn anything from Fury after he was sticking his tongue out at Usyk'.
Whilst a fourth echoed: 'Oh dear, a dose of humble pie served up after that arrogance, the Universe works in beautiful ways to bring balance'
Followed by a fifth who said 'Joshua looking at the crowd and sticking his tongue out was the same reaction he had when Andy Garcia started knocking him down!!'.
Joshua's trainer continued to defend the 34-year-old's actions during the fight and stated that he and his team should take some of the heat of Joshua's lackluster performance.
'Like Eddie [Hearn] said, a lot of people talk about when they’re having an off night, and that was an off night.
'I’d just like to say that me and my team have received a hell of a lot of credit for good performances he’s had, so we must take responsibility for the bad performances as well, so we’re willing to do that.
'He spoke about rolling the dice. 'A lot of people have talked about, when things aren’t going well, I’ll go out on my shield, but he did that tonight.
'A lot of people have said he’s hesitant to let his hands go but he’s shown he’s not – he let his hands go and came off with a short straw tonight.
'Obviously, we’re very very gutted.'
Daniel Dubois delivered a knockout blow in the fifth round to stun Anthony Joshua and the 96,000 spectators inside Wembley on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old was sent flying by Dubois in the fifth round after already hitting the canvas three times before in the previous rounds.
Joshua appeared less focused than his opponent from the start and in the fifth round, he was spotted looking out into the crowd and sticking out his tongue just moments before he was knocked out by his opponent's right hand.
In the video posted by TNT Sports, Joshua can be seen turning his head out to the crowd and sticking his tongue out as the referee separates the two heavyweights.
Many social media users were quick to accuse the boxing veteran of taunting the crowd, however, his trainer Ben Davison was quick to dispel these rumors and give a real explanation.
When asked about the viral clip, Davison explained in his post-fight press conference that:
'I was asking for something from him and he sort of said ‘I’m OK’ and let me know he’s OK by actually talking in there,'
'And then he came back before the last round and just said to me ‘These are the moments that we live for’ and talked about rolling the dice – and that’s what he did.' he added.
That didn't however stop boxing fans from taking to social media and brutally mocking Joshua for his actions just seconds before his KO loss.
One fan wrote on 'X': ' Karma is a B****h.'
A second simply asked 'What was AJ thinking at this moment?'.
A third added: 'Come on AJ, didn’t we learn anything from Fury after he was sticking his tongue out at Usyk'.
Whilst a fourth echoed: 'Oh dear, a dose of humble pie served up after that arrogance, the Universe works in beautiful ways to bring balance'
Followed by a fifth who said 'Joshua looking at the crowd and sticking his tongue out was the same reaction he had when Andy Garcia started knocking him down!!'.
Joshua's trainer continued to defend the 34-year-old's actions during the fight and stated that he and his team should take some of the heat of Joshua's lackluster performance.
'Like Eddie [Hearn] said, a lot of people talk about when they’re having an off night, and that was an off night.
'I’d just like to say that me and my team have received a hell of a lot of credit for good performances he’s had, so we must take responsibility for the bad performances as well, so we’re willing to do that.
'He spoke about rolling the dice. 'A lot of people have talked about, when things aren’t going well, I’ll go out on my shield, but he did that tonight.
'A lot of people have said he’s hesitant to let his hands go but he’s shown he’s not – he let his hands go and came off with a short straw tonight.
'Obviously, we’re very very gutted.'
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