Anthony Joshua receives torrent of Islamophobic abuse after sharing photo of him praying at mosque

The IBF heavyweight champion visited the religious building while taking time out from training in Dubai

Other fans rushed to defend Joshua, telling him to ignore the hate he has recieved (Getty)

Anthony Joshua has been subject to an onslaught of anti-Islamic abuse after sharing a photo of himself praying at a mosque on holiday.

The IBF heavyweight champion visited the religious building while sightseeing in Dubai. Joshua has previously said he does not follow any particular religion but has an interest in faith.

The 27-year-old, who is training in the city for his superfight against Wladimir Klitschko in April at Wembley, shared the photo of himself at the mosque on both his Twitter and Instagram account.

“Besides luck, hard work & talent… Prayer is a solid foundation. It was nice to join my brother as he led through afternoon prayer,” he wrote.

The photo immediately prompted a torrent of vitriolic abuse, with some people claiming they would now be supporting Klitschko and unfollowing him on social media.

“Gutted AJ, gone right off you. Islam is a disgrace. What are you doing, lost some fans today big man,” wrote one person on Twitter.

Nevertheless, others rushed to defend Joshua, telling him to ignore the hate he has recieved. Some fans wrote “Mashallah”, an Arabic phrase expressing appreciation.

“You people who are sending abusive messages to Anthony Joshua are a disgrace to society of 2017,” said one.

“Anthony Joshua is one of the finest role models and dedicated boxers in the sport of boxing. Religion doesn't breed hate ignorance does,” added another.

As of December 2016, Joshua, who won gold at the 2012 Olympics as an amateur, was ranked as the world’s second best heavyweight by BoxRec and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.

A representative for Joshua told The Independent the boxer would not be commenting on the abuse he has received.