It was a side to Anthony Joshua we've not seen before.
Perpetually positive and unceasingly respectful, Joshua broke character last Thursday when he decided to respond to all three of his most outspoken heavyweight rivals.
In a series of tweets, 'AJ' hit out at Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker and Tyson Fury after it seemed like Joshua had lost patience with their respective attempts at talking their way into the next crack at him.
https://twitter.com/anthonyfjoshua/status/928549795802869761
The sweariest response was reserved for Fury, who was told to get fit in no uncertain terms, and Joshua has since explained why he went on that Twitter tirade.
"I try to be professional but remember this is a fighting sport and you have to meet fire with fire now and again. Sometimes if a dog barks at you so many times, the other dog needs to bite back and make sure the other dog puts his tail between his legs. And that's what you have to do with Tyson Fury sometimes. And that's all it was, I just had to bite back," Joshua told
Sport 360.
"I'm not one of these dogs that stay in the garden barking for hours, I make my noise -- and that's it -- until we fight I don't need to be hollering and yelling for days and for months. That's not what I like to do. I address the situation and I put it into the back of my mind. I address what's relevant.
https://twitter.com/SportsJOE_UK/status/929120737759285249
"That's why I'm like, 2018, even though there's a lot of talk -- in reality, isn't going to be like Joseph Parker, Wilder and Tyson Fury all in one year. Anthony Joshua has to face all of them but what's Wilder's plans after he fights Anthony Joshua? Everyone's following my career but everyone else is managing their own career how is best for them."
This week,
Parker all but ruled himself out of meeting 'AJ' next due to a disagreement over the purse split originally offered by promoter Eddie Hearn.
Fury is looking at an April return, which will likely be a tune-up fight so it would appear as though Wilder is currently in the driving seat for the Joshua bout.
