The British media have treated Anthony Joshua ‘unfairly’, claims CHARLOTTE DALY on Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast THE HOOK… as she compares their coverage of the heavyweight to tennis star Emma Raducanu

Charlotte Daly has criticised the British media for the way Anthony Joshua has been treated in recent years.

The heavyweight boxer shot to stardom after winning Gold at the 2012 Olympics and has had two spells as unified heavyweight champion of the world.

However, two defeats by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 saw him lose his titles, although he has since rebuilt his career with victories against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius this year.

His next opponent is yet to be confirmed after a proposed bout with Dillian Whyte fell through when Whyte returned an adverse analytical finding in a drugs test, but Joshua has been increasingly knocked in the media and recently admitted gone are the days when boxing ‘was for fun’.

And Daly discussed the public perception of Joshua on the latest episode of Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast, The Hook, with co-host Alex McCarthy.

Charlotte Daly has criticised the British media for the way Anthony Joshua has been treated

The British heavyweight has faced increasing criticism since his double loss to Oleksandr Usyk

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‘I was really looking forward to that Dillian Whyte fight,’ she said.

‘I think the first fight in 2015 was a great fight. And I do think that would have been one to kind of put Joshua back on that pedestal.

‘But I do feel sorry for Joshua. And I don’t think the treatment of him has been fair in some aspects.

‘I think we have a great tendency in the UK to build up our stars and put them on this pedestal and idolise them.

‘And then the minute one thing goes wrong, we tear them down and you can see from Joshua’s behaviour and the way that he acts now in front of camera that he’s fed up with the way that he’s been treated.’

Daly went onto compare the treatment of Joshua to the likes of Emma Raducanu, with the British tennis star winning the US Open against all odds at the age of 18.

However, she has since badly struggled with injuries and has faced criticism for the variety of commercial deals she undertakes, with the 20-year-old now ranked at world No 283 and having not played since April.

He bounced back with an impressive knockout over Robert Helenius in August of this year

Daly compared Joshua’s treatment to how Emma Raducanu has been criticised by the media

Daly added: ‘We’ve seen it in other sports. Take Emma Raducanu, for example, in the tennis.

‘We built her up so much and put her on this pedestal and then results didn’t go her way, injuries came into play and we tore her down and now she doesn’t want anything to do with the fans and the media and stuff like that.

‘And you’ve seen that happen in so many sports that I don’t think it’s right considering how much Joshua has given to boxing and to the younger generation and to the heavyweight scene as a whole.

‘The memories he’s given us and stuff for us to constantly tear into him.

‘And I think I would like to see him face a credible opponent and go on and kind of cement his legacy as a great without finishing off his career on a low where people are just constantly criticising him.’