- Theories regarding Anthony Joshua’s knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday are being rejected by the fighter’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
- A sparring knockout, a backstage panic attack, and a pre-fight concussion are all rumours circulating around the heavyweight’s loss.
- But Hearn has spoken out against all of these, saying there “were no health concerns” ahead of Joshua’s American debut versus Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Hearn added that Joshua is focused on getting his heavyweight world titles back and wants revenge later in the year.
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Anthony Joshua’s shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. on Saturday has spawned wild conspiracy theories.
The former unified heavyweight boxing champion was knocked out in sparring, had a panic attack backstage, and walked to the ring with a concussion before he had even been hit by Ruiz Jr., according to rumors.
But they have all been rejected by the fighter’s promoter Eddie Hearn, the group managing director of Matchroom Sport.
Joshua boxed sluggishly in his American debut, was knocked down twice in the third round and twice again in the seventh, before the referee waved the fight off for good because Joshua was non-responsive while trying to balance himself on the top ropes in a neutral corner.
It was not long before people on the internet tried to explain his loss at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Reports emerged from reliable boxing media that Joshua had even been knocked out in a sparring session days before the actual fight.
Phil D. Jay of World Boxing News reported on Monday that an American boxer called Joey Dawejko, ranked 57th in the world, had Joshua "hurt badly in a training session" and put him "on the canvas hard," which is something that "may have had a profound effect on [him] mentally."
World Boxing News added that the sparring session left Joshua with a bruised face, which appears to be visible when he spoke to Radio Rahim from the YouTube channel Seconds Out with a swollen nose and reddened cheekbones on May 27, six days before fight night.
The talkSPORT boxing reporter Michael Benson tweeted that there were also rumors Joshua was already suffering a concussion before he even stepped foot in the ring on Saturday. It has also been suggested that Joshua suffered a panic attack.
Read more: Anthony Joshua's humiliating setback proves he should have listened to Floyd Mayweather 2 years ago
But all of these suggestions have been slapped down by Hearn.
"There is no truth that he was badly hurt in sparring, there were no health concerns going into the fight," Hearn said, according to The Telegraph. "The biggest concern was a stye on his eye."
Hearn also rejected the panic attack rumor on Twitter.
Panic attack? I’ve heard all sorts of rumours - there was no issue at all going into the fight
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) June 3, 2019
In the Telegraph, Hearn added that Joshua has been "putting on a brave face after the defeat" but is "already starting to think about getting revenge."
He said: "The rematch is a huge fight and there's a lot of pressure on AJ to win it."
