Nigeria born
British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has come under heavy attack from Rape
charity group after the group picked holes with his comment over Ronaldo and
his rape allegation.
Joshua who
is full of admiration for the Portugal international who he noted keeps waxing strong
despite all the distractions, highlighted tax and women as some of the obstacles of
success for athletes.
'I've always
said two things you'd get f***** for as an athlete is women and tax, he's got f*****
for both and he's still smiling, still strong,' said Joshua at a promotional
event in New York. 'You need mental strength, he's proved that.
'He's a
family man, he's got that aspect, but still out working and he's dedicated to
what he does.
'So as a
sportsman he's had the issue of one side, he's got the family on the other side,
and he balances what he's passionate about," he said
But Joshua's
submission has been condemned by the Rape crisis body for England and Wales who
described the submission as inappropriate and trivialisation of a serious
issue.
The comment
it added should not be coming from a person like Joshua considered a role
model.
Katie
Russell, the Rape Crisis England and Wales national spokeswoman, told The Telegraph:
'It's inappropriate, insensitive and disrespectful to make jokes or flippant
remarks about allegations or instances of sexual violence and abuse in any
context.
'Arguably,
those in the public eye, who may be considered a role model to many, including
impressionable young people, have a particular responsibility not to trivialise
such serious issues.
'Experiences
of sexual violence and abuse, can have wide-ranging and long-term impacts on victims,'
and survivors' health, lives and relationships.
'As a
society, we need to develop more empathy and understanding about that if we are
ever to see more of those impacted by sexual violence and abuse get the support
they need, want and deserve.'
Ronaldo has
denied raping Kathryn Mayorga in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 even as Mayorga claimed
she was paid £280,000 hush money to keep quiet about the incident.
