AJ: I don’t like weird, backstabbing Parker

Anthony Joshua has described Joseph Parker as ‘‘a weird character’’ who he doesn’t like, and accused the Kiwi camp of backstabbing.

While Joshua was full of respect for Parker when he fronted a large media assembly at his Sheffield training base, earlier he had made his inner feelings known in a British radio interview with TALKSPORT.

It seems the controversial ploy by Parker’s promoters at Duco Boxing to constantly question Joshua’s ‘‘glass chin’’ still stings as the heavyweights go through their final preparations for their world title unification fight in Cardiff on April 1 (NZT).

When radio host Jim White asked Joshua directly if he liked Parker, the big Brit responded: ‘‘He’s a weird character. Not really, no.’’

The tactics of Duco boss David Higgins worked in terms of securing the fight and a huge deal for Parker, worth around $13-million, but there seems to be a bitter aftertaste for Joshua.

‘‘Do you know what it is with Parker and his team?’’ he continued.

‘‘Behind the scenes they’re different, a lot of the things that they say are different.

‘‘I’ve seen some of the emails that Parker’s manager sent Eddie (Hearn, Joshua’s promoter) and they say some really backstabbing things, but in your face they shake your hand and that’s not my type at all.’’

Joshua’s camp were surprised that once the fight deal was signed and both teams fronted a January press conference in London, the Kiwis couldn’t justify their claim’s about the ‘‘glass chin’’.

‘‘We give them the platform at the press conference to look him in the eye and tell him. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t pull the trigger,’’ Hearn said.

‘‘We don’t mind the hype, we like the criticism, but say it to us!’’