British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has hit back at critics of his speech at the Black Lives Matter protest in Watford over the weekend.
Sporting a knee brace, and needing crutches and an electric scooter to get around, Joshua took part in a peaceful protest in his hometown.
The protest was one of many around the world after the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died, after white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes in Minneapolis last month.
Afterwards, WBA, IBF and WBO champion Joshua delivered a powerful speech, branding racism a "virus" and the video was shared to his 11.3 million Instagram followers.
But one line drew an angry response from viewers, with Joshua telling people not to riot and stay united, adding: "Show them where it hurts, abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses."
People interpreted the quote as telling black people to boycott white business, but Joshua said that was far from the truth.
"If you think I'm a racist, go f*** yourself," he has tweeted. "If you watch the full video, the speech was passed around for someone to read and I took the lead.
"I personally spoke from the heart about the Watford community, ideas of us personally investing seven figures to create unity and opportunities, and adding change to the African/Caribbean community.
"Shops aren't the issue here. Before you talk s***, you better boycott racism. I said what I said and I will act to make change."
In an earlier statement, Joshua addressed criticisms of him disobeying social distancing rules, while attending the protests.
"I understand the concerns in regards to social distancing.
"However, I hope those who are complaining about social distancing have the same energy about those gathering for a day at the beach [and] those going to the park for a picnic."
