Anthony Joshua has admitted he was confused by Conor McGregor’s issue with KSI last month.

The Brit was too strong for Robert Helenius, brutally knocking down his opponent in the seventh round of their showdown at the 02 Arena.

In the aftermath of their fight, McGregor made his way into the ring and appeared to have some issue with KSI.

Joshua, at the time, could be heard saying ‘nah, that’s my guy’ while he defended the YouTuber.

And the 33-year-old has now admitted he was surprised by McGregor’s actions, insisting he had ‘no idea’ what the beef was about.

“I went around the ring and I bumped into Conor McGregor on my victory lap,” he said.

“He’s a personality, he’s a very big character, so I stopped off, we spoke, I had a sip of stout and I was on my way, so respect to him.”

The Watford-born boxer added: “I just didn’t understand what this beef was about and obviously I know KSI, so I wasn’t going to be like, ‘Yeah, f*** KSI’.

“I know KSI so I’m not going to start throwing slurs at him, that’s my guy, so what’s going on.”

KSI made his name by becoming one of the biggest YouTubers on the planet.

He’s since become a boxer, with a win over Logan Paul the highlight of his career in the sport so far.

McGregor hasn’t elaborated on why he seemed to confront the 30-year-old after Joshua’s bout with Helenius.

Yet the 35-year-old called out KSI last month, revealing he’d love to challenge him to a bare knuckle fight.

“I know your man KSI is in the crowd,” McGregor told DAZN’s Ade Oladipo.

“He couldn’t box eggs if he worked in an egg boxing factory.

“So if he wants to get in here I’ll give him a fight in bare knuckle if he wants.”

Joshua is currently looking to agree a fight with Deontay Wilder following his win over Helenius.

And promoter Eddie Hearn recently provided an update, telling IFL TV: “Talks are ongoing. We are still in the same position of a January fight.

“If we don’t conclude that fight and they about moving it to February or March, we will probably fight in December.

“Wilder is talking about fighting in October, but it’s already September now.”

He then added: “He will wait to fight Wilder in January.

“He’s training now. He wants to fight in December.

“If they turned around and said, ‘Let’s do the Wilder fight in December’ he’d do it.

“But everybody is talking like it’s happening, but until it’s happening it ain’t on.

Two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua was forced to face Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test, only for the Finn to only test positive after the fact.

Anthony Joshua has returned negative tests for his VADA testing after BOTH of his opponents for last month’s O2 Arena fight tested positive in the build-up.

Joshua ended up fighting Robert Helenius on short notice after Dillian Whyte had tested positive for a banned substance, knocking the card down from pay-per-view to a standard DAZN fight. But disaster struck after his seventh round knockout when Helenius as well tested positive, causing further controversy over the event.

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua drops cryptic message

Both men have protested their innocence, while Joshua has remained relatively quiet on the issue after the fact. It was the latest in a string of stories regarding drugs in boxing, but the Brit has tested clean, as with the rest of his career, and is expected to move on to a showdown with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia next year.

A tweet from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, who administered the testing for his fight, tweeted today: “Congratulations to Anthony Joshua for successfully completing VADA Testing through his August 12, 2023 bout.” The also tagged Eddie Hearn, Frank Smith, Shaun Palmer and the British Boxing Board of Control.

Earlier this week, after telling the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel that Joshua wanted the statement out, Hearn read the following from a text exchange between the two: “Thank you for the extra attention you take making sure all fighters are brought to the light [who are doping]. Without Matchroom Sport these things are being overlooked.”

Both Whyte and Helenius have denied that they knowingly took any performance enhancing drugs, with Helenius saying in a statement: “I want to say something very clear in my own words right now with absolutely no exception. I did not use any performance enhancement now or ever. I have been tested my entire career.

“I was just told that I tested positive for the presence of a non-steroid substance in my system and I wanted to send an immediate direct message to Anthony Joshua and boxing fans that I didn’t cheat and never would. I volunteer to work with VADA and the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) to do whatever it takes to clear my name.”

In a statement released last week, Joshua’s promoter Matchroom said: “Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) hos Informed Matchroom and the British Boxing Board of Control that Robert Helenius has returned an adverse analytical finding as port of a random anti-doping protocol.

“Helenius was voluntarily tested on Friday, August 11 before the heavyweight fighter’s defeat by Anthony Joshua in London on Saturday, August 12. The result was made known to Matchroom today. Matchroom defers to the relevant regulatory authorities on next steps. We vehemently continue to support voluntary anti-doping testing. We are committed to promoting a clean and fair sport for all athletes. We will not be making any further comment.”

Whyte released a lengthy statement after his fight had been cancelled with Joshua, saying: “I am shocked and devastated to learn of a report by VADA of adverse findings relating to me. I only learned of it this morning and am still reacting to it. I have also just seen that the fight is being cancelled without having any chance to demonstrate my innocence before the decision was taken.

“I can confirm without a shadow of doubt that I have not taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any point in my life. I am completely innocent and ask to be given the time to go through the process of proving this without anybody jumping to conclusions or a trial by media.

“I insisted on 24/7 VADA testing for this fight, as I have done voluntarily and at my own expense for all of my fights for many, many years. This is not the first time that I have been reported as having an adverse finding for a substance which I have not taken, and as I did last time I will again prove that I am completely innocent.

“In the meantime, all I can do is express my extreme disappointment to boxing fans, who will miss out on what was sure to be a great event.”

READ MORE:Anthony Joshua branded “unprofessional” for drinking Conor McGregor’s stout after win

Boxer Anthony Joshua has said that Max Verstappen is a unique character in the world of sport.

Verstappen won his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, his ninth consecutive race win, equalling the record for the most amount of consecutive Formula 1 victories.

With victory, he also took a step closer to winning his third consecutive world championship title and is looking in supreme form.

A former world champion in boxing, Joshua knows a thing or two about what it takes to be at the top of an elite sport, and he had some kind words to say about Verstappen.

“I get the privilege as an athlete, of meeting so many unique people and I take so much from them, whether they are doctors or whether they are people that are doing everyday jobs,” he told Sky Sports’ F1 show

JUST IN:Anthony Joshua drops cryptic message

“Everyone has got a story, and with Max, what I got from him is confidence and also relaxed in his ability. When you know, you just know. He doesn’t overthink anything.”

It’s not the first time Verstappen’s confidence has been praised. He’s a very self-assured individual who seems to be able to switch on his concentration every time he flicks down the visor.

He has now won 11 of the 13 races so far this season, and isn’t showing any signs of stopping there.

His 46 career race wins already puts him fifth in the all-time standings for F1 victories, and he is only 25.

Who’d bet against him breaking into the top three and overtaking former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel’s 53 race wins before the end of the season?

READ MORE:Anthony Joshua drops cryptic message

Anthony Joshua knocked out Robert Helenius in his latest fight and the former two-time heavyweight champion enjoyed some of McGregor’s stout moments after the win.

Anthony Joshua has been slammed by Carl Froch after drinking Conor McGregor’s stout just moments after his recent win.

‘AJ’ made up for a timid display against Robert Helenius in London earlier this month by landing a one-punch knockout in the seventh round. Joshua was cruising his way to a points win but his performance drew boos from fans, but he silenced critics to brutally floor Helenius with a right hand to pick up his first stoppage win in almost three years.

UFC legend McGregor was ringside for the fight and he gave Joshua a sip of his Forged Irish Stout after the Brit jumped out of the ring following his win. But now-retired former world champion Froch has slammed Joshua in a new rant by labelling him unprofessional for his actions.

What were your thoughts on Anthony Joshua drinking Conor McGregor’s stout after his win? Let us know in the comments section below

“How unprofessional is that? AJ jumps out the ring, bit disrespectful as well. Helenius is receiving medical attention, he jumps out the ring. Ok fair play, go and see your dad, your family, you’ve just won a fight. You’re a bit nervous and you wanted to get the victory and there’s a lot of pressure on you, but don’t go over the Conor McGregor who is trying to steal the show,” Froch said on his YouTube channel.

“He had all swellings under his eyes, his nose was p***ing with blood, his mouth was all bleeding, as we saw when he jumped out of the ring which was a bit strange, he had a slurp of that nasty Irish stout that Conor McGregor shoved into his face. He had all blood and snot and sweat inside that pint.

On McGregor, Froch added: “Making a really expensive suit look very cheap because he looks like a scruffy b******. Standing around at ringside shouting b****** trying to be the centre of attention. He (AJ) shouldn’t have drunk that stout. Very unprofessional from Anthony Joshua.”

Joshua is expected to fight Deontay Wilder next as ‘The Bronze Bomber’ outlined a two-fight plan that would see them fight in Saudi Arabia and Africa. Froch doesn’t think it would be smart for Joshua to fight Wilder next as he added: “Do not fight Wilder in your next fight because you will get absolutely knocked sparko. If you’re doing it for the money take the money, fair enough, but keep yourself safe.”