Anthony Joshua hits back at Jesse Lingard as pair set up FIFA showdown to ‘see who the real heavyweight champ is’
HEAVYWEIGHT champ Anthony Joshua has called out his next opponent… Manchester United star Jesse Lingard.
Thankfully AJ doesn’t want to meet the winger in the boxing ring, with the two agreeing to do battle on video game FIFA.
Lingard, 28, was the first to pipe up by tweeting: “So Anthony Joshua thinks he’s king of the ring and FIFA!
“Well I’m gonna show him June 21 at 11.30am UK time as part of the world’s biggest charity eSports festival Gamers Without Borders
“Lets see who’s the real heavyweight champ.”
Gamers Without Borders is a charity aiming to distribute the Covid-19 vaccine to underdeveloped countries.
Several celebrities have agreed to get involved in the scheme, including Joshua and Lingard.
AJ couldn’t believe the audacity of Lingard’s tweet, responding: “No chance, Jesse Lingard [followed by a laughing emoji]. See you there.”
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Joshua’s next opponent in the boxing ring is likely to be Oleksandr Usyk, defending his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.
The 31-year-old needs to beat the undefeated Ukrainian if he wants to keep the dream of a unification fight with Tyson Fury alive.
The Gypsy King faces Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight on July 24 and is also under pressure to keep his WBC crown.
If both British heavyweights can win their respective bouts, one of the biggest fights in British boxing history may finally take place later this year.
There’s still a chance AJ’s fight with Usyk may collapse, with Andy Ruiz Jr – the only man to defeat Joshua professionally – believed to be waiting on standby.