Anthony Joshua commented on those who booed him during the early rounds before the former heavyweight champion scored a huge KO.
The two-time world ruler landed a haymaker on Robert Helenius in the seventh round, taking out the Finn six rounds later than rival Deontay Wilder.
But during the contest, audible groans were picked up by the TV cameras, before which you could have heard a pin drop at the O2 Arena.
It’s not ideal for Joshua to face criticism from his fans. However, his recent erratic behavior may not be easy to swallow for some.
After doing a victory lap as Helenius lay prone and badly hurt, AJ drank Conor McGregor’s alcohol out of a can the Irishman many have used. It would have been an unadvisable move if McGregor had been chugging from it also.
Joshua then gave a weird post-fight interview before running out of the ring again. At the post-fight press conference, the Londoner addressed the heckling.
People who booed Anthony Joshua don’t understand boxing
“I think they don’t understand it is competitive boxing,” pointed out Joshua. “We are trying to shut each other’s advances down.”
The 33-year-old then took a swing at the undercard.
“I was watching certain fights tonight. They don’t look as exciting as I thought they would.
“It’s not that they don’t look exciting. It’s a game of chess. When you’re playing, it is a thinking man’s sport. From the outside, chess is a boring game. But everything I try to do, they shut down.”
The Watford man then asked his own questions.
“Why will I go in there and trade from round one?
“But that is [also] the question, who were they booing?”
Have any of them boxed before?
It was then suggested to Joshua that it was his own fans, and he replied: “Have any of them ever boxed before?”
Concluding with a view on how he rated his performance, Joshua added: “That is for my coach [Derrick James]. I don’t really rate my performances. It’s down to whatever the coach thinks.
“We can go back to the drawing board. I know there are a lot of things we can improve on.
“I felt better than in April [beating Jermaine Franklin]. That is the main thing.”
World Boxing News reported that Wilder could be next as a fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. has been called off.
Wilder is ready to get serious with talks but may need a warm-up before the pair meet in Saudi Arabia this January or February.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
