Anthony Joshua told he ‘could have died’ in first fight vs Andy Ruiz Jr after trainer reveals he knew Brit was concussed

Rob McCracken has admitted he knew the former world heavyweight champion was concussed after suffering two knockdowns in the third round before eventually being stopped in the seventh

Anthony Joshua has been told he could have died after his trainer Rob McCracken admitted to knowing the Brit was concussed during his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in June.

The former world heavyweight champion was knocked out in the seventh round in New York to lose his titles to the Mexican-American with his trainer admitting he knew the former champion was concussed four rounds before the fight’s conclusion.

McCracken admits he knew Joshua was concussed after the third round after suffering two knockdowns. Joshua could be heard between rounds asking, “what round is it?”, and, “why am I feeling like this?”

And brain injury charity Headway have criticised McCracken for allowing the fight to continue.

“Trainers have a duty of care to their boxers and it seems clear that Anthony Joshua’s trainer’s sole priority was winning that fight, not protecting the fighter from a potentially fatal injury,” a spokesperson for the charity told The Sun.

“We know once you’ve had a concussion, any subsequent blow can exacerbate the damage. You are most at risk of having a particularly serious or fatal brain injury if the brain has already been damaged and a concussion has already been sustained.

“In that point, he was particularly vulnerable to a more serious injury. One wonders how many deaths in the ring over the years have resulted from a win-at-all-costs mentality.”

Joshua during his loss to Ruiz Jr in June (Getty)

McCracken told the BBC this week when reflecting on the fight: ”I know him better than all these experts who virtually don’t know him or have met him once or twice.

“I knew he was concussed and I’m trying to get him through a few more rounds, one round at a time, and see where he’s at.

“But he was glazy-eyed from when he got caught with that initial shot in round three and he carried that with him up until the end.”