London (AFP)
British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, unified WBA-IBF-WBO champion, said on Saturday at a Black Lives Matter march in the UK that the protesters were the "vaccine" against the "virus" of racism.
"The virus I'm referring to is called racism," said the boxer, comparing its effects to the damage caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. Before adding: "How long are we going to let racism spread in our communities?"
World protests under the banner of Black Lives Matter took place Saturday in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by police during an arrest in late May in Minneapolis in the United States.
"You are the vaccine, I am the vaccine," said Joshua, 30, at a rally in his hometown of Watford.
"Killing a person is unforgivable, but depriving them of their rights, oppressing them, making fun of them, insulting them, putting glass ceilings above their heads ... is just a slower way of kill her and take the life of her soul, "said the Briton.
During this demonstration, Joshua was seen wearing a kneepad, parading at times with crutches, but according to one of his spokespersons, it was just a "precautionary measure".
The champion felt a "slight pinch" on the left knee during a training session earlier this week, said his entourage, insisting that there was no need to be alarmed.
Joshua was scheduled to defend his belt against Kubrat Pulev at Tottenham's Hotspur stadium on June 20, but the fight was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to sanitary measures, he should not fight his next fight before October at best, his promoter Eddie Hearn said in mid-May.
© 2020 AFP