Anthony Joshua reveals pub row sparked Daniel Dubois anger - 'Are you f***ing crazy?'

Anthony Joshua threatened to hit Daniel Dubois over the head with a chair - and has revealed his anger came from a row in the pub a week before

Anthony Joshua's determination to hammer respect into Daniel Dubois is fuelled by a cocky punter in the pub.

Joshua, 34, will challenge young upstart Dubois, 27, for his heavyweight title at Wembley tonight. The all-British clash turned personal when the normally level-headed Joshua threatened to smash a chair over his rival's head during an angry face-off. The pair were separated and have since kept their cool - but two-time champion Joshua is still bristling at the challenge to his authority.

"I was in the pub the week before and one little kid - well, he was probably 30-something - thought he could say something, and I realised you can't let anyone think they can speak to you in a certain way," he said. "His mate tried to show him something, and he said: 'I don't give a f*** if AJ is here.' I said: 'What?! Don't ever think you can talk like that'.

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"There's other people who are looking at this person talking to me like that. F*** boxing, you know who I am and you know what I'm about, so don't ever think you can disrespect me - because it won't end well for you. "We drew a line under that, then the week after, I'm doing a face-off, and Daniel tried to get mouthy! So, I'm still in the mindset where you don't let anyone think they can take a mile.

"So, Dan, I'm going to put a stop to you there, and listen: I will smash this f***ing chair across your face, and I'll ram the f***ing pole down your throat! "It was calculated, it all stemmed from the week before. You have to let someone know that you're not f***ing about, and hopefully that will ripple out to everyone else."

Joshua's squeaky-clean image has been carefully honed since he turned professional following his Olympic triumph in 2012. But the elder statesman warned Dubois not to push him too far again tonight in front of 96,000 baying fans. "I don't want any problems, but I'm in an industry where I'm fighting; I'm not in goal, I'm not playing tennis, I'm in a sport with men with testosterone - gladiators that will take any opportunity to try to belittle you and test your toughness," he added.

"I'm a nice person, but honestly, I'll switch as well. So, you pick what side of the fence you want to sit on. Most people are alright with me, but I will definitely go to extremes that I don't think they're ready for. It's up to them which way they want to do it. I like Dan, there's nothing wrong with him, he's a good guy. Remember, we're men, we'll shake hands after.

"But I just think it was the fact that someone thought they were okay to say: 'We can fight now.' Am I going to say: 'Na, let's not go now, I'm not ready.' Are you f***ing crazy? I'm going to give it back to you, and I'm going to go to places where... It's the industry I'm in, you have to."