Anthony Joshua says "higher powers" sent him personal messages during contract negotiations

Joshua says he "took less money" to bring his first world title fight to the UK, and backs Eddie Hearn in his feud with Simon Jordan.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Thu 1 Oct, 14:15 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Anthony Joshua at the Fury vs Joshua press conference at Olympia — Photo: Richard Pelham / Getty Images for Netflix

Anthony Joshua says he was sent personal messages by people unhappy with him during contract talks. Joshua, who fights Tyson Fury in Cardiff on 11 December, did not say which negotiations he meant or who sent the messages.

"I went through this situation where there's contract negotiations and things where higher powers are upset with me and sent me personal messages," Joshua told talkSPORT's Spencer Oliver. "And like, I'm a G, yeah? You want to go to war, but it's like a corporate level of messages where people aren't happy. And I just want them to know that I fought for the British boxing... when I first fought for the world title, they wanted me to go to America. I took less money and I paid the champion more money to bring it to the United Kingdom."

"Just remember me as someone who fought for British boxing and tried to bring the respect back here," he said.

He was also asked about the feud between his promoter Eddie Hearn and talkSPORT's Simon Jordan, who has called Hearn a bully. "It's good for entertainment but it's not good because we're all in this together... I'm with Eddie," Joshua said.

Start times, TV and tickets are on our Fury vs Joshua page.