Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has videoed himself defeating Manchester United star Jesse Lingard on FIFA.Joshua, who played as Liverpool, celebrated the win by bellowing out the Liverpool anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ leaving fans on Twitter asking whether the boxer was a fan of the Merseyside club.Joshua, who is now one week away from his crunch heavyweight title bout against Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk, has never previously admitted to supporting a football club.Having grown up in north London, the boxer naturally has a love for football and has previously admitted to having a soft spot for Watford FC, while notably being a close friend of former Watford striker and club legend Troy Deeney.Joshua also stated in an interview with Virgin Radio Dubai in 2017 that his all-time favourite football club was Real Madrid because of his love of Cristiano Ronaldo.Lingard, who played as Chelsea, looked dismayed in the video, with Joshua showing a small snippet of his Liverpool team breaking through on goal against the footballer, who notably scored Manchester United’s winning goal against West Ham on Sunday.
Curling a wonderful strike around West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski, Lingard secured his side the three points on Sunday afternoon and pushed Manchester United into third place behind their Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
His United teammates celebrated the clutch win, hugging goalkeeper David de Gea after the keeper made a crucial penalty save in the dying embers of the match.
But despite Lingard’s footballing skills, it looks like boxer Anthony Joshua got the better of him on FIFA, and AJ will be hoping to be celebrating again this time next week following his fight with Usyk, who has been dubbed Joshua’s toughest opponent yet.
Former Olympian and American super heavyweight Michael Hunter has warned Joshua: "He (Usyk) is fleet-footed and defensive-minded.
“It will be very difficult to actually get a win over Usyk in a certain fashion.
"Joshua will have to have a concrete game-plan and follow it. It will be a very hard task.
"Even though he (Usyk) doesn't focus on hitting hard, he has enough power to absorb and withstand punches.”
"He will do exceptionally well. He hasn't taken any Ls and hasn't been in any trouble since he's been pro.”
The fight will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, September 25, 2021, with ring walks expected to take place at 10:30pm (BST).