Boxing legend Lennox Lewis has come to the defence of Anthony Joshua, despite their ongoing dispute which began earlier this year.
In Saudi Arabia, AJ put on a boxing masterclass to regain his unified heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz Jr and emerged victorious by unanimous decision.
Since that win, though, he has faced critics who claim the bout was ‘boring’ and that he ‘ran’ rather than fought Ruiz.
Addressing this, Lewis, who in August became embroiled in a public dispute with Joshua, said: “Every fight isn’t going to be a KO.
“I thought AJ fought a good tactical fight and didn’t fall into trap of trying to mix it up in exchanges.
“This was a good addition to his experience. He also wisely unpacked his jab for this one…
“Think because boxing is a blood sport that’s just what some people want. If they don’t get it, they get bored.
“It’s understandable, but not many fighters who approach the sweet science come out unscathed with this philosophy. Each opponent is his/her own puzzle to solve…
“I understand that people want blood, but, as a fighter, you have to be disciplined enough to wait for the opportunities to open up.
“Sometimes they don’t come. When that happens you play it safe and stick to game plan.”
The former undisputed champion then responded to a particularly perplexing message which said: “Personally I’d say you have to knock the champ out to win. However, just my personal opinion.”
Lewis concluded: “You do know there are actual RULES to boxing don’t you?”
