![\"Anthony](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/527482ec-5459-4123-9426-7abc3b602734.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe former two-time unified world heavyweight champion was criticised after saying in the build-up to Friday night\u2019s Netflix fight in Miami: \u201cI\u2019m a very respectful guy brought up by a good family, but if I can kill you, I will kill you.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just how I am. And this is just the job I do, so let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joshua\u2019s comments before a fight that many expect to be a complete mismatch attracted a strong reaction from the likes of Tyson Fury, who said his long-time rival was \u201ca little bit long in the tooth to be talking s***e like that\u201d as he called him an \u201cidiot\u201d and a \u201cclassless loser\u201d in a video posted on social media.<\/p>\n
However, Joshua did not back down on his inflammatory claims as he went head to head with YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in a final pre-fight press conference on Wednesday and was asked to respond to Fury.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s my job, we fight. We have a licence to kill,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m sure many people don’t understand it but this is what my job is. I just enjoy what I do.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever happens, happens. As long as my hand is raised, that’s what’s important, right? Respectfully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s just the mentality we have to have as fighters. I don’t know if any other fighter thinks that way. Maybe they’re a bit more tame.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe things I watch, the way my mind works. When you’re in that ring, it’s a dangerous place to be. Anything can happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hope your opponent leaves the ring safely, but if they don’t, you still have to go to bed at night knowing you just did your job. It wasn’t personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Anthony Joshua during a press conference at the Fillmore Miami Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n
Asked about Joshua\u2019s \u201ckill\u201d remarks, an unfazed Paul said: \u201cYeah, let\u2019s f*****g go. Let\u2019s put on a show for the fans, let\u2019s go to war. Men have done crazier things throughout human history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a modern day gladiator sport. This is what we\u2019re here to do, f**k each other up and I\u2019m ready. I want his hardest punches, I want there to be no excuses when it\u2019s all said and done. Let\u2019s f*****g kill each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
During an eventful press conference, Paul sang \u201cLondon Bridge Is Falling Down\u201d to Joshua and made reference to a \u201cBoston Tea Party 2.0\u201d before roaring that he was going to \u201cf**k Joshua up\u201d.<\/p>\n
The sheer size difference between the pair was then laid bare again during another face-off, during which Joshua grabbed Paul\u2019s expensive chain.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one’s done more for the sport of boxing in the last decade than myself,” Paul said.<\/p>\n
“I think if people really cared about boxing, they’d want me to win. But I see where the angle that they are coming from is, he\u2019s the traditional boxer who has been doing it his whole life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m more important for the sport of boxing and so if they actually cared about the sport, they would want me to win.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion was criticised after saying in the build-up to Friday night\u2019s Netflix…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198452,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112,49946],"class_list":["post-198451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports","tag-tyson-fury"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198451\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}