ANTHONY JOSHUA has slammed criticism for attending a Black Lives Matter protest with two statements on social media.
The British boxing hero was one of many peaceful protesters to take to the streets in his hometown of Watford, where he was pictured on crutches wearing a leg brace.
Anthony Joshua said ‘we can no longer remain silent’ as he joined a Black Lives Matter march in Watford
The Brit hero was never going to let his injury stop him taking part in the demonstration
The protest was one of many that have taken place in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis last week.
And a recent knee injury didn’t hold AJ back in the support the fight for racial equality as he marched on with crutches.
The unified WBA, IBF & WBO heavyweight world champion streamed a series of hard-hitting speeches to his 11.3million followers on Instagram where he said, “we can no longer remain silent” and branded racism a “virus”.
Fans were quick to take note of the 30-year-old’s leg brace which promoter Eddie Hearn has subsequently confirmed is for a minor knee injury.
Joshua injured his knee while running but it should have no bearing on his preparations to fight Kubrat Pulev later this year, with latest reports claiming it could take place as early as September.
The Brit also received some flak regarding his lack of a face mask and social distancing at the protest, with the coronavirus pandemic still prevalent.
Joshua addressed demonstrators with powerful words in Hertfordshire
Joshua first addressed the injury and said: “Respect for the supporters concerned about my leg.
“I buss my knee running miles in the woods.
“Doc said take all weight off it for two/three weeks.
“Still training, still active, still punching. Two weeks to [go], then it’s off.”
He then added in a second post: “I understand the concerns in regards to social distancing.
“However I hope those who are complaining about social distancing have the same energy about those gathering for a day at the beach [and] those going to the park for a picnic.”
At the protest, Joshua was wearing a Black Lives Matter hoodie and managed to smile through the discomfort of his injury.
But at points he took a break from the crutches to get around on a mobility scooter.
He was first seen wearing the leg brace earlier this week, as he zoomed around central London on a mobility scooter among friends.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted he is very confident of landing a deal to secure back-to-back Joshua versus Fury fights next year.
But Fury’s promoter recently expressed fears that AJ does not want an mouth-watering Battle of Britain clash with the Gypsy King, 31, any time soon.
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By: Isabelle Barker
Title: Anthony Joshua slams criticism for attending Black Lives Matter protest as he updates fans on injury
Sourced From: www.thesun.co.uk/sport/11805500/joshua-criticism-black-lives-matter-injury/
Published Date: Sun, 07 Jun 2020 18:48:49 +0000
