"I gave him mine" - When Conor McGregor set the record straight on controversial Anthony Joshua beer incident outside boxing ring
Conor McGregor clarified his stance last month on the fiasco surrounding claims that he pressured Anthony Joshua to drink beer from his pint glass. 'The Notorious' was present ringside at the O2 Arena in London in August 2023 to witness Joshua’s seventh-round knockout of Robert Helenius, attending the event as one of its key sponsors.
The former UFC two-division champion drew significant attention with his extravagant entrance at the arena, accompanied by an entourage of ring girls dressed in attire promoting his Forged Irish Stout brand. Among them was former IBF bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges.
However, the most viral moment of the event occurred when McGregor met Joshua after he exited the ring following the fight and appeared to coax 'AJ' into sipping his Forged Irish Stout. The incident sparked widespread backlash within the combat sports community, with former British boxer Carl Froch harshly criticizing Joshua, calling him "unprofessional" for drinking the beer.
Last month, 'The Notorious' took to Instagram to share a lengthy post, claiming it was the former heavyweight champion who requested a taste of his Forged Irish Stout.
McGregor explained that he felt it was fitting to let 'AJ' have a sip right there as he left the squared circle:
"One year ago today, @forgedirishstout had a busy year! Also, for the record, I didn’t make Joshua do anything. He exited the ring after his amazing victory and came straight to me and said, 'Where is my Forged?' I gave him mine. It was the first time that had happened at a fight."
Check out Conor McGregor's post below:
Joshua is slated to make his comeback this Saturday to challenge IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London, England, in a 12-round showdown.
When Anthony Joshua opened up about what he can learn from Conor McGregor
During an interview with Matchroom Boxing (via Mirror Fighting) ahead of his bout against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou this past March, Anthony Joshua was shown a photo of the infamous beer incident and asked to weigh in on Conor McGregor.
'AJ' was full of praise for McGregor, admiring his flamboyant lifestyle. He remarked that 'The Notorious' is someone who truly embraces life and lives it to the fullest:
"He's a larger-than-life character; he's someone you can take inspiration from. Remember, you're only here once and you've got to love and live life. Each to their own but a lot of people are quiet, reserved and getting through life bit he's someone who's at the forefront of life and living it to its full capacity and I love him for that."