Johnny Nelson gives honest reply to Anthony Joshua question in Carlton Palmer comparison

Johnny Nelson has weighed in on Anthony Joshua’s choice to switch broadcast partners from Sky Sports to DAZN – and admitted AJ’s call was a ‘no-brainer’ by using a comparison with ex-Premier League player Carlton Palmer.

Joshua chose streaming platform DAZN over Sky – which had been broadcasting his fights since the start of his professional career – after he was made an offer ‘he could not refuse’. Joshua’s deal with DAZN is a multi-year, multi-fight deal with the requirement of two fights a year. The contract with DAZN is reportedly a 9-figure US dollar deal, with upside, putting his earning potential over the next three to five years into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Now in an interview with Boxing Social, Sky Sports pundit Nelson has admitted he is ‘heartbroken’ by AJ’s decision but understands his reasons for the mega-money move. When asked how much losing Joshua will affect Sky, Nelson responded: “How does it affect them? I think it’s probably more of a broken heart than anything else but business-wise, it’s business, that’s just business that’s just how it is.

“We on the boxing scene, yeah we’re gutted but that’s how it is, that’s life we’re still going to watch it, we just don’t have to work that night, we can have a drink and have some fun. In the grand scheme of things, what difference does it make? He’s still going to fight; we’re still going to watch him.”

Johnny Nelson has defended Anthony Joshua’s switch to DAZN (Image: GETTY)

Nelson then continued to defend Joshua’s decision, comparing his situation to that of former England international Palmer and his transfer from Sheffield Wednesday to Leeds United in 1994.

He said: “DAZN would have thrown the kitchen sink at Anthony Joshua and so how could he have said no? I can remember Carlton Palmer and he played for Sheffield Wednesday, and they asked him to go and play for Leeds and we were out one night – my football knowledge is garbage sorry – we were out one night, and these guys were giving him s***, giving him hassle at the bar saying ‘ah, you’re a traitor’ this that and the other.