ANTHONY Joshua has revealed he almost came to blows in a Saudi hotel this week… with a ROBOT.
Boxing hero Joshua, 34, was trading insults with former rival Jarrell Miller in the public area of the hotel ahead of their respective fights on Saturday.
The SunAnthony Joshua was bumped into by a robot as he squared up to Miller[/caption]
The SunThe robot vacuum almost got ‘knocked out’ by the boxer[/caption]
The SunThe robot can take the lift on its own – but still bumped into AJ[/caption]
The SunAJ called the cleaning device ‘weird’[/caption]
Miller, 35, sneaked up on Joshua, 34, and called him a “p***y” while the Brit was chatting to reporters.
But as tempers rose, the impromptu stand-off came to an end when a 3ft tall robot vacuum cleaner started bumping into the heavyweight stars.
The former WBA, IBF and WBO champion told The Sun: “That was weird wasn’t it?
“How the f*** did that end up right there?
“It was bashing into my leg. I thought it was one of his little mates hitting me but I looked down and it was a robot.
“I was thinking ‘what the f*** is that, I’m gonna knock that robot out!’”
The robot interrupted AJ as he faced off against former rival Miller.
Joshua was supposed to fight Miller in 2019, before the 28st American was busted for pumping his bloated body with performance-enhancing substances.
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS & NEW CUSTOMER BONUSES
Andy Ruiz Jr was the late replacement who stunned AJ on his New York debut and drastically changed the trajectory of his career.
Miller has never apologised, and instead used his notoriety to become even more infamous.
And that infamy has landed him a slot on Joshua’s undercard on Saturday night against Brit Daniel Dubois.
Joshua spoke frankly when addressing the rivalry and how Miller and his ilk are threatening the sanctity of the sport.
“That’s just Jarrell,” he said calmly. “There’s no beef there really.
“He’s not on my radar now, that’s where I am coming from.
“He had his chance, but he went to the pharmacy and brought every drug going and messed up.
“Realistically he’s not on my radar now because I am focusing on bigger and better things.
How AJ compares to his cyborg opponent
The robot vacuum cleaner is made by a Saudi company
GettyAJ will be fighting on December 23 against Otto Wallin[/caption]
“Now he’s a nobody, in my opinion he’s a nobody, he’s a drug cheat.
“In this game of boxing you should not cheat, man. You should not cheat. People can really get hurt.”
AJ started his amateur career in local Finchley ABC, hit the pinnacle up in Sheffield with Team GB before the London 2012 Olympics, then moved to Loughborough to set up his own gym and was based in Dallas with new trainer Derrick James for the last two bouts.
But because this Wallin clash was sealed just seven weeks ago and James was double booked, Joshua hooked up with Harlow-based neighbour Ben Davison and enjoyed all the comforts of home.
And the locals who have watched his rapid rise have respected him enough to let him do the commute in peace.
He explained: “When you’re away for a while you appreciate being at home more, so it’s been good being back.
“America was fun, it was a good experience, I would advise people to do it if they can but there’s no place like home.
“I am a UK-born citizen so it’s good to be back home.
“I don’t have many distractions at home, people there have learned to respect what I do.
GettyWallin is fighting AJ on Saturday on a huge card in Saudi[/caption]
“Even though it all looks fun, there’s a level of respect there because people know when I’m about, I’m about.
“But when I am away, they know I am really locked in.
“There is a good level of respect there and people don’t really want to bother or chat me.
“I also have a good team who help me filter things down, I probably start with 100 people, then 50 to 25 then down to two and then one, then it’s just so much easier for me to just focus on my craft.”
ANTHONY JOSHUA VS OTTO WALLIN: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THRILLING SAUDI CLASH