Anthony Joshua explains why he has no plans to take a knee before Kubrat Pulev fight

AJ revealed over the summer that he plans to help create a new community centre close to where he and his son JJ live and explained: “If you want to be the change, the change has to come from within. I appreciate the people who protest but once the awareness is raised, we need to ­create economic change.

“We need to look at education — readers become leaders. I am focused on the local community. We want to create a centre to help people get educated, for them to gather together and bring some unity.

“I want to give kids a place to go and learn, so if they get into a confrontation with someone who is not from the same country or culture as them, they are not ignorant and they won’t judge them for what they look like.”

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Joshua’s heavyweight rival Fury, who is expected to agree a two-fight deal to do battle with AJ in 2021 if he comes through the challenge of Pulev, was however heavily critical of the speech Joshua gave earlier this year.

The Gypsy King said back in June: “I’m sure he’s apologised if he’s offended anybody — oh he actually didn’t, did he. He actually said if you didn’t like what I said, go f*** yourself. So no apology necessary.

“Let’s just say, I’m not pushing knives in or pushing anybody when they’re down but if it had been me who said it, ‘Don’t shop in any black-owned stores or any Asian owned stores’ or anything, or don’t buy from their businesses, then I’d have been crucified like Jesus Christ. I’ll just say that.