Anthony Joshua has hit back at critics who labelled him "racist" following his speech at a Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday.
Heavyweight champion Joshua attended a protest in his hometown of Watford.
While there he read a passionate speech, written by a friend, saying: “This is out of control. And I’m actually not talking about Covid-19. The virus I’m referring to is called racism.”
Joshua was afterwards criticised by some for saying: “Abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses.”
The world heavyweight champion responded to his critics on Twitter late on Sunday night, posting a statement that read: “If you think I'm a racist, go f*** yourself!
“If you watch the full video, the speech was passed around for someone to read and I took the lead.
“I personally spoke from the heart about the Watford community, ideas of us personally investing seven figures to create unity and opportunities and adding change to the African/Caribbean community.
“Shops aren’t the issue here. Before you talk s*** you better boycott racism. I said what I said and I will act to make a change.”
