By Tim Parsons-
IBF heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has called on the Black Lives Matter movement to start taking more practical measures to help minorities instead of focusing solely online.
The 26-year-old popular world champion called for money unity in the black community in supporting black-owned business and school with financial contributions.
Speaking at an event to launch Lucozade Sport’s Made to Move campaign, where he led 300 fans on a run around Hampstead Heath, the Olympic gold medalist told The Evening Standard: “Black Lives Matter seems to be a whole thing where people are chanting and protesting and I’m not really into that. Just tweeting or Insta-gramming about cop killings. That’s not the angle I would take.”
“If everyone on one of those marches donated £100 you could invest in black-owned schools and black-owned banks and do stuff for the poor.”
Joshua also condemned what he saw as a divided movement with no leading voice.
In a critical blast against Black lives matter UK,Joshua said: “There’s a lot of black spokespeople, but they’re singing from different hymn sheets. It’s time for the leaders to come together and work out a strategy.”
Making reference to his admiration of the late Muhammad Ali, Joshua said: “Ali was part of a civil rights movement and rallied thousands against the Vietnam War. There was so much more to him than a man with boxing gloves on.”
The explosive and well ripped heavyweight champion then added that boxing’s influence on politics had “died along with him [Ali]” , specifically clarifying that he himself prefers to stay away from politics.
Joshua stated: “I’m a fighter so I don’t have time to indulge in politics,” he said.
Joshua’s comments come amidst much criticism against the Black Lives Matter UK group, who recently held a demonstration at London City Airport in a protest against “racist climate change”. The protest was very disruptive to flights for more than six hours, leading to 9 arrests of the protesters, who were charged with trespassing.
Black lives matter UK is an offshoot of an organizational group set up in America, following the police shooting of Trayvon Martins in the U.S. The group campaign against discriminatory practices against black people, but acted unreasonably in their most recent protest in which they obstructed an aircraft runway at an east London airport.
GOLD
Anthony Joshua won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, eventually starting his professional career in 2014. He progressed to win the IBF heavyweight title in 2016, after beating Charles Martin in two rounds for the title. Anthony Joshua is currently the most well-liked boxer in Britain, also rated the best heavyweight in the country.