Lennox Lewis wishes he could have mentored Anthony Joshua out of wilderness years despite AJ once calling him a ‘clown’

LENNOX LEWIS wishes helium could person mentored Anthony Joshua retired of his wilderness years — but volition invited him into his three-time-champ-club.

The brace person been astatine loggerheads for astir of the 34-year-old’s pro career, with AJ insulted by immoderate of the 59-year-old’s educated criticisms and erstwhile labelling Lewis a “clown”.

After a daze 2019 nonaccomplishment to Andy Ruiz, AJ started adding unproven coaches to his proven squad, successful an intolerable effort to rebuild his benignant successful the wintertime of his career.

When Team GB mastermind Rob McCracken was axed, aft the 2021 archetypal nonaccomplishment to Oleksandr Usyk, a large fig was needed to regenerate the antheral AJ labelled ‘The General’ and his precise ain Alex Ferguson.

Lewis — different London-born Olympic victor and three-time satellite champion — mightiness person been the cleanable campaigner but erstwhile squabbles kiboshed that telephone coming.

Instead yes-men and pad-men fto the 18st KO instrumentality discarded his premier years trying to go a silky stylist overnight, until Ben Davison got AJ backmost to his champion past year.

Britain’s past undisputed heavyweight king told SunSport: “I would person nipped that successful the bud, absolutely.

“But determination are a batch of analyzable parts to that. People bash things their mode and the mode they cognize however to.

“The occupation with a batch of the boxers is they are doing it for the archetypal time, their managers and radical astir them are doing it for the archetypal time. So they don’t effort to get accusation from radical that person done it. That, to me, is simply a discarded of time.

“A batch of boxers discarded a batch of clip and are loyal to the radical who helped get them up.

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“But those radical tin lone instrumentality them truthful far, past you person to spell to the radical who person been there, cognize the business, cognize however to tally the concern and cognize each the tricks that whitethorn travel up. Then you are connected a antithetic level.”

Lewis is selective astir his media appearances, his clip is invaluable and helium chooses his words wisely.

He seems to suggest Joshua’s tegument whitethorn person been a spot excessively bladed astir the clip Lewis was asked to sermon his nonaccomplishment to combat Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury — and crown a four-belt king earlier Usyk swooped in.

And this full atrocious stand-off could person been straightened retired with a speedy telephone call.

He explained with the precision of his aged jab: “Sometimes I americium acrophobic that, erstwhile I americium saying something, it comes retired correctly.

“In the past I person said worldly that has conscionable been taken wrong.

“But I americium a affirmative idiosyncratic and I don’t similar putting radical down, truthful for them to instrumentality it the incorrect way, without speaking to maine astir it, is simply a problem.”

If Lennox was anti-AJ, present would beryllium the cleanable clip for him to unload.

Daniel Dubois volition support his IBF loop against Joshua successful an all-British heavyweight rubric combat astatine Wembley Stadium. And triumph time against underdog Dubois would elevate Joshua into 1 of the top pantheons successful sport.

AJ antecedently held the WBA, IBF and WBO straps from March 2018 to July 2019 and reclaimed the belts aboriginal that twelvemonth from Ruiz.

Only Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lewis person ruled the blue-riband part 3 times and their standings successful the athletics are unquestionable astir the planet.

Joshua — with a highest Wilder and Fury inactive missing from his resume and back-to-back Usyk defeats — could beryllium considered fortunate to marque the trio a quartet.

But due to the fact that of his London 2012 Olympic win, his faultless conduct, the KOs, the comebacks, the mode helium carried the athletics successful this state means Lewis volition gladly budge up and marque country for his aged verbal sparring partner.

“Absolutely,” Lewis said erstwhile asked if AJ has the credentials to articulation immoderate of boxing history’s greatest. “To me, it’s conscionable communal sense.

“If a occupation is going to prosecute a graduate, are they going to prosecute them without checking the grades?

“And successful boxing radical should besides cheque the inheritance achievements and however they got there.”

* Watch Riyadh Season Card: Joshua v Dubois, unrecorded connected TNT Sports Box Office from 4pm tomorrow. Find retired much astatine tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice