Anthony Joshua gave a concise and sharp-witted reply to Tony Bellew’s text prank.
Bellew, 42, found himself at the centre of a comedy skit on Michael McIntyre’s ‘Big Show’, falling victim to the notorious ‘Send to All’ segment where McIntyre convinces his guests to send an audacious message from their phone to all their contacts.
As part of the prank, McIntyre sent out a text from Bellew’s number claiming: “Just been asked in an interview who’s the person I’ve met with the most punchable face and I said you. Hope you don’t mind.” The message was punctuated with a fist and a blue heart emoji. This trick elicited a variety of humorous responses from sports stars and celebrities.
Jamie Redknapp, an ex-Premier League star, retorted: “Punchable face? Look in the mirror, mate. BTW, I should be punching you for all the free clothes you’ve been asking for.” Meanwhile, Chelsea football legend Frank Lampard jovially reminded Bellew: “Never mind that, you still owe me £20! ” Entertainment personalities like James Corden and comedian Rob Beckett also joined in with their reactions. However, it was Anthony Joshua’s comeback that sparked particular interest.
Unveiling Joshua’s response, McIntyre read aloud the boxer’s succinct and telling retort which started with 11 laughing emojis and ended with three simple words: “I love fighting.” Yet, there were even more surprises to come from the aftermath of this playful escapade. McIntyre capped off the episode by mentioning Bellew’s erstwhile adversary, David Haye.
Their infamous long-standing feud culminated spectacularly in 2017 with Bellew scoring a dramatic 11th-round knockout. The pair met again the following year, when he ended their saga even quicker with a fifth-round KO, finally laying their rivalry to rest. When Bellew revealed that Haye had responded to a text, what followed left him red-faced: ‘The Hayemaker’ answered with quite the quip, “The guys want to punch it and the girls want to snog it… story of my life!” McIntyre then FaceTimed the ex-boxer who, upon a jest about a third fight, retorted with an eager: “I’m on my way!”
Despite the laughs, another bout between these two is improbable; Bellew bowed out of boxing in 2018 after being bested by Oleksandr Usyk. Haye had retired after his second scrap with Bellew but stepped back into the ring for a one-off exhibition match four years past, outboxing Joe Fournier.
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