Anthony Joshua 'shows off cannon' as he throws American football into NFL crowd at Wembley Stadium
01/10/2023 17:00
Anthony Joshua is having another day to remember at Wembley.
The former two-time heavyweight world champion has previously packed out England's national stadium for fights with Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin.
On Sunday, he was there as a fan to watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first game of the NFL's 2023 International Series which will see five regular season matches played in Europe this month.
Of course, Joshua had some of the best seats in the house, but before the game got started, he made his way pitch side to mingle with fans.
The 33-year-old got his hands on an American football and chucked it into the crowd.
‘AJ’ had a smile beamed across his face while throwing the ball in a manner that won't have NFL scouts calling him but also won't see him ridiculed like UFC star Conor McGregor was after his first pitch at a baseball game.
Later, Joshua was presented with a Jaguars jersey with his name on the back.
The heavyweight knockout artist posed with his gift for cameras before taking his seat to watch.
Joshua is enjoying some downtime ahead of his next fight.
He last fought in August against Robert Helenius whom he knocked out cold in round seven to seemingly set up a mega-money matchup with Deontay Wilder.
The long-time rivals were supposed to fight in Saudi Arabia this December, but the Middle Eastern nation recently withdrew its offer to stage Joshua vs Wilder.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who has looked after Joshua since his professional debut in 2013, is currently working behind the scenes to find a new host site.
If negotiations don't reach a conclusion soon, it's believed Joshua's team will start looking for an alternative opponent for him to box before the end of 2023.
In the meantime, he's been training with Tyson Fury's former coach.
Ben Davison helped 'The Gypsy King' bounce back from his much-discussed ring hiatus in 2018 before being replaced by SugarHill Steward after three fights.
Now, he's helping Joshua stay in shape before he heads out to Texas to continue working with Derrick James who has guided him to two wins in 2023.
It's currently unclear how Fury feels about his friend helping one of his biggest rivals and a man he very much hopes to fight in the near future.