Anthony Joshua's tongue gesture explained after 'taunting fans' during fight

Anthony Joshua was criticised for sticking his lingua retired towards the fans successful the moments earlier helium was knocked retired by Daniel Dubois astatine Wembley Stadium connected Saturday night

Anthony Joshua’s trainer Ben Davison has denied the combatant was taunting the assemblage moments earlier he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois.

Joshua was flattened by Dubois successful the 5th circular aft being floored connected 3 abstracted occasions successful the erstwhile rounds. The 34-year-old was dominated by his younger opponent who retained his IBF heavyweight rubric successful benignant astatine Wembley Stadium. A clip posted connected societal media caught the oculus of galore fans, with immoderate accusing Joshua of taunting fans. During the 5th round, helium was seen turning his caput and poking his lingua retired arsenic the referee separated the fighters.

It made him look silly when, moments later, helium was caught by a stiff counter-punch close manus from Dubois arsenic helium desperately swung. “Taunting the crowd, past gets knocked retired cold,” 1 instrumentality wrote connected Twitter.

“Lapse of concentration,” different commenter added. “Pride comes earlier the fall!” a 3rd concluded. But, asked wherefore Joshua stuck his lingua out, Davison gave a elemental mentation successful the post-fight property conference. “I was asking for thing from him and helium benignant of said ‘I’m OK’ and fto maine cognize he’s OK by really talking successful there,” the trainer said. “And past helium came backmost earlier the past circular and conscionable said to maine ‘These are the moments that we unrecorded for’ and talked astir rolling the dice – and that’s what helium did.

“Like Eddie [Hearn] said, a batch of radical speech astir erstwhile they’re having an disconnected night, and that was an disconnected night. I’d conscionable similar to accidental that maine and my squad person received a hellhole of a batch of recognition for bully performances he’s had, truthful it’s important that we instrumentality work for the atrocious performances arsenic well, truthful we’re consenting to bash that.

“He spoke astir rolling the dice. A batch of radical person talked about, erstwhile things aren’t going well, I’ll spell retired connected my shield, but helium did that tonight. A batch of radical person said he’s hesitant to fto his hands spell but he’s showed he’s not – helium fto his hands spell and came disconnected with a abbreviated straw tonight. Obviously we’re precise very gutted.”

Asked if helium considered throwing successful the towel, Davison admitted: “Yeah of course, you person to support that successful caput erstwhile a combat is going similar that, it’s thing you person to beryllium alert of.” He besides gave a elaborate mentation of what went incorrect for Joshua. “We knew Dubois, helium retreats erstwhile helium jabs," helium said. “We tried to capitalise connected that [but] for immoderate reason, things didn’t get going successful the aboriginal portion of the fight. We conscionable didn’t negociate to get things going early.”

Davison added: “Then [there were] a mates of things we were trying to capitalise connected astatine the end. A precise abbreviated spell, landing that close hand, pursuing up moments similar that, but we didn’t use the mode we wanted to. By that constituent a batch has gone on, he’s not reasoning straight.”