Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has been forced to deny claims that the British heavyweight was hurt in a torrid sparring session in the build-up to his stunning defeat by Andy Ruiz Jnr in New York on Saturday night.
Joshua lost three world title belts and his unbeaten record to the Mexican-American underdog, who dropped him to the canvas four times in one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history.
The Briton had marks on his face as he entered the ring at Madison Square Garden and his sluggish performance raised question marks about his preparation for the contest.
After the fight, his father, Robert, was seen berating Hearn in the ring before Joshua ushered him away. And well-placed sources have suggested that Joshua had been “roughed up” in sparring, at one point even sent to the canvas.
However, Hearn said: “Absolutely there is no truth that he was badly hurt in sparring, there were no health concerns going into the fight.
“The biggest concern was a stye on his eye. He’s putting on a brave face after the defeat, but he is already starting to think about getting revenge – the rematch is a huge fight and there’s a lot of pressure on AJ to win it.”