I DIDN’T PANIC

BEATEN CHAMP ON ATTACK

BY CHRIS McKENNA ANTHONY JOSHUA has denied he suffered a panic attack moments before his shock defeat by Andy Ruiz Jnr.

And the former WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion insists he will not split from trainer Rob McCracken despite Lennox Lewis’ calls to axe his coach.

Joshua, 29, suffered the first loss of his professional career against Ruiz at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The Brit was stopped in the seventh round after being floored four times in a thrilling fight. It sparked suggestions that Joshua had issues in the build-up as he was downed so easily by the flabby bruiser against all the odds.

But he said: “I had no panic attack. I have to take my loss like a man. No blaming anyone or anything. There have been a lot of accusations and worries about what was wrong with me.

“I want to tell you this – I am a soldier and I have to take my ups and my downs and on Saturday I took a loss.”

Former undisputed heavyweight champ Lewis led the calls after the fight for Joshua to ditch McCracken. The GB Boxing performance director guided Joshua to Olympic glory in 2012 and took over as his pro coach before his 2016 win over Eric Molina.

But Joshua says he will not change his team ahead of the rematch with Ruiz, in November or December. He said: “It hasn’t really changed me, my work ethic, my mindset, what I stand for, the people I’m still loyal to – my trainer Rob McCracken, my amateur coach at Finchley ABC.”

But WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder claims Joshua is being pressured into another fight with Ruiz by his promoter Eddie Hearn.

He said: “I don’t think it’s gonna happen. This man is mentally broken.

“He gave up, he quit – because of so much pressure. His promoters put so much pressure on him.”

Tyson Fury has also stuck the boot in on his British rival. He said: “He will never live it down.

“If that was me, I would never show my face in public ever again.”

ANTHONY JOSHUA