Featured Image Credit: X/@rduncan39
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Conor McGregor, Boxing, Sport
Anish Vij
Conor McGregor is being mocked on social media after he's spotted ‘shadow boxing’ at the Anthony Joshua vs Robert Helenius fight on Saturday (12 August).
Well, the British boxer was able to block out jeers and boos from the crowd at London's O2 Arena to produce a seventh-round stoppage against Helenius, 39.
Joshua, 33, had been set to face fellow British heavyweight Dillian Whyte until his rival had to be pulled from the show last weekend when 'adverse analytical findings' were detected in his doping test.
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Helenius stepped in as a last-minute opponent and put up a good fight.
But as we saw last night, Joshua was able to provide the crowd with a spectacular finish, unleashing a huge right hand to knock Helenius off his feet at one minute and 27 seconds in round seven.
There was brief concern over Helenius, who remained motionless, and it saw Joshua leave the ring to celebrate with the fans, but his opponent was able to get back up to his feet before the two fighters touched gloves.
While Joshua now has his sights firmly on Deontay Wilder, it seems that some sections of the internet were more entertained by McGregor's ‘shadow boxing’ during the bout.
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The UFC star, 35, who later celebrated in the ring by pouring a pint of stout down AJ's throat, had a front row seat to the fight.
Taking to X (Twitter), user @rduncan39 couldn't believe that he captured the moment, writing in his caption: "Conor McGregor in the front row of the AJ fight f**king shadow boxing hahahaha absolute lemon."
"Was this the most interesting moment of the fight?" one person question.
As another user added: "Haha, he is trying to be a distraction!"
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"Lol Connor is just in his own world," a third wrote.
"In fairness that’s him pretty much calling the shots he should take and he goes and does it immediately," a fourth thought.
Meanwhile, Joshua responded to his critics during a short interview in the ring.
“I just want to give a big round of applause for Robert Helenius for taking this fight,” Joshua started off.
“People need to leave me alone. This is my time in the ring. Let me breathe.
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“The guy has got talent, I had to figure him out because he was a late replacement and I want to thank him for saving the show.
“I don’t want to say too much. But my back hurts from carrying the heavyweight division.”