If true, this would have been uncharacteristically petty from Anthony Joshua.
Undefeated records will be on the line next weekend when Joshua returns to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for a unification clash with Joseph Parker and the excitement is ramping up for the monster heavyweight showdown.
With no need to cut weight, both fighters are simply putting the finishing touches to their respective training camps whilst fulfilling media obligations as they aim to maximise pay-per-view buys.
The ever-personable Joshua has been something of a media darling up to now but reporters from New Zealand and Samoa, who have travelled to the UK to cover the bout from Parker’s point of view, were disappointed when they didn’t get the time they’d wanted with ‘AJ’.
This guy. Journalists are invited for a big Anthony Joshua media day. He talks to eeeeeeryone except the few NZ and Samoan media. You know.. the countries Joseph Parker’s from. I’d hoped he’d be better than that. #JoshuaParker pic.twitter.com/7s8ikFa1DK
— Tova O'Brien (@TovaOBrien) March 21, 2018
A Newshub report claims that they were snubbed when they requested to speak to Joshua at a press event in Sheffield this week and that’s not sat well with Parker’s camp.
“This is not just about Anthony Joshua,” Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry said. “There is an undefeated WBO champion called Joseph Parker, and his people are here from New Zealand and they’re here from Samoa.
“Show them a little bit of respect.
“Hopefully, he [Joshua] will get off his high horse, and when we sit down and have a press conference next week, he will speak to the media who are here and give them the respect that they deserve, as we have done to the UK media.”
Joshua is not typically one to trash talk opponents and it was Parker’s camp who kick-started the war of words when they published a video of every time ‘AJ’ has been wobbled in his career last November.
Anthony Joshua talking smack about Joseph Parker today while trying to hold the moral ground… more on @NewshubSport #JoshuaParker pic.twitter.com/YwXeJiSukW
— Tova O'Brien (@TovaOBrien) March 21, 2018
Perhaps Joshua’s snub was a response to the oxygen that was given to Parker’s trash talk when the Kiwi was trying to get the fight made but whatever the reason, the WBO heavyweight’s team are not happy about it.
“Some people are humble and some people pretend to be humble,” promoter David Higgins said.
“For those Kiwi journalists to drive all the way to Sheffield, and for him to walk out and leave them standing – it goes to character.
“Samoa’s a long way and hopefully Anthony Joshua makes time for our colleagues from Samoa the next time we meet.”
