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Eddie Hearn denies rumours Anthony Joshua was 'badly' hurt in sparring before Andy Ruiz Jr fight

June 4, 2019

Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has denied claims that his fighter and former wolrd champion was severely injured during a sparring session in the lead-up to his remarkable defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in New York on Sunday.

Joshua, 29, was defeated via seventh round TKO at the hands of Mexican-American Ruiz Jr.

During the post-bout interviews, Joshua's father Robert can be seen in the background abusing Hearn.

Robert had to be restrained by his son Anthony, while Ruiz Jr was being interviewed.

Reports have surfaced since Joshua's loss that the British champion was dropped during a sparring session and was concussed before his fight at Madison Square Garden .

Hearn told the Telegraph UK that the reports were false and that Joshua was 100 per cent before his devastating loss to Ruiz Jr.

"Absolutely there is no truth that he was badly hurt in sparring, there were no health concerns going into the fight," Hearn told the Telegraph.

"The biggest concern was a stye on his eye. He's putting on a brave face after the defeat, but he is already starting to think about getting revenge – the rematch is a huge fight and there’s a lot of pressure on AJ to win it."

Joshua is expected to have a rematch with Ruiz Jr around November-December.

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