Anthony Joshua called Laura Woods his ‘dream date’ in a flirty interview with the presenter after his win over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night.
AJ picked up his first victory since 2020 despite a less than convincing performance against Franklin, as the fight was scored 118-111, 117-111, 117-111 in his favour.
He seemed to be in good spirits after the fight as Woods asked him on IFL TV what he thought of her career and the two-time world champion replied: ‘I think it’s blossomed amazingly, just like you,’ which led the 35-year-old to ask how many times he had been hit on the head.
Later in the interview, Joshua replied ‘you’ when questioned on his dream date, at which point Woods punched the air and told him ‘this is perfect!’.
AJ then joked about how Ruben Loftus-Cheek had ‘beaten him to it’ after the Chelsea midfielder named Woods as his dream crush in a recent talkSPORT interview.
Both parties confirmed they were not in relationships after Joshua asked ‘are you taken?’, before the host dealt him a blow bigger than any Franklin could muster as she admitted to being ‘too focused on work’ to date.
Woods has seen a great rise to the top within the sports media and Joshua the same with his notable 25 wins out of 28 during his professional career.
The pair are hugely successful in their respective careers, and their recent interview over the weekend showcased that they get along just fine.
In what can only be described as a shamelessly flirty interview, how do the big names in sport square up to one another… and could they be the perfect sparring partners?
LAURA WOODS
Career highlights
Laura Woods was born on July 2, 1987 in Dagenham, east London, and grew up in Surrey with her two parents, Michelle and Steve, as well as her two older brothers Paul and Luke. She went on to study print journalism at Kingston University.
After completing her studies, in 2009 she bagged a job at Sky Sports where she was a runner, the beginning of her career to become the face of many sporting programmes.
She became a Sky Sports editorial assistant, then assistant producer, associate producer and finally a producer.
Laura went from behind the camera to presenting in front of it when she started doing the broadcaster’s behind-the-scenes interviews for Darts coverage on their YouTube channel.
She then got a job on Sky’s Game Changers, a Saturday morning children’s show.
Anthony Joshua called Laura Woods (pictured) his ‘dream date’ in a flirty interview with the presenter after his win over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night
Laura Woods was born on July 2, 1987 in Dagenham, east London, and grew up in Surrey with her two parents, Michelle and Steve, as well as her two older brothers Paul and Luke. She went on to study print journalism at Kingston University (pictured in October last year)
After completing her studies, in 2009 she bagged a job at Sky Sports where she was a runner, the beginning of her career to become the face of many sporting programmes. Just two years later Laura was a pitch side reporter (pictured in 2019) on Super Sunday, where she was often alongside sports pundit and former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville
From that point on, she began reporting from NFL games and then became part of the online presenting team for Sky Sports’ Soccer AM, leading her to broadcast live on Facebook every day from the Euro 2016 competition from France.
Just two years later Laura was a pitch side reporter on Super Sunday, where she was often alongside sports pundit and former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville.
Woods left Sky Sports in 2022 after seeing a mammoth rise to fame, thanks to her incredibly in-depth sports knowledge and charming personality.
In August 2022, Laura was named as the host of ITV’s new NFL show with Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell joining her every Friday for an hour-long highlights show.
In October last year she announced her new role as a World Cup presenter with ITV Sports for the 2022 Qatar World Cup with co-hosts Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Enia Luko, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Kanu Robson, Graeme Souness and Mark Pougatch.
She also works for DAZN covering both boxing and the Women’s Champions League.
Dating history
Having jumped from one incredible job to another, Laura has had little time to put focus into her personal life and romantic relationships.
Laura’s only confirmed ex-boyfriend is former England rugby player Alex Corbisiero, who she dated for eight years.
Speaking to The Sun in June 2020, Laura detailed: ‘My last relationship was eight years and I was nearing 30 when we broke up. It was my decision – it was the right one and I’ve never regretted it.
‘We’d lived in each other’s pockets and breaking up with him felt like coming up for air. The next thing for us was probably marriage and having kids. And I do want that one day – I love being in love and I love kids. But I’ve prioritised work because I love that too and my ambitions are important to me.’
She added that she ‘won’t settle’ and she will ‘wait for the right guy’, but also admitted that she ‘puts work first too much’, which gets in the way of her love life.
Laura continued: ‘I don’t use internet dating sites. I hate being set up and I’m quite fussy – if I’m not in control I don’t like it! I’d rather meet someone organically in the pub. I don’t believe in forcing anything. I’ll know when it happens and until then it’s not an area of my life I feel like I’m missing out on.’
Despite giving most of her time and energy to bettering her career, Woods has definitely not been short of dating offers.
It just takes a quick scroll through her social media profiles to see she is inundated with complimentary comments from followers who offer kind words to her gorgeous selfies and well wishes to mentions of her latest job roles.
Laura’s presence on the football pitch has also led her to being noticed by some of the Premier League’s finest talent. In recent weeks, Laura was hosting her regular TalkSport breakfast show when she spoke to Chelsea and England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek (pictured) during a Q&A session
Last December, Laura brutally rejected Love Island star Charlie Brake after he asked her out on Twitter. Charlie asked her out for dinner, with Laura politely declining by saying: ‘I’m not hungry but thank you’
Famous knockouts
Laura’s presence on the football pitch has also led her to being noticed by some of the Premier League’s finest talent.
In recent weeks, Laura was hosting her regular TalkSport breakfast show when she spoke to Chelsea and England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek during a Q&A session.
She cheekily asked the football star who is celebrity crush was, only for Loftus-Cheek to respond: ‘Laura Woods!’
Laura seemed pretty pleased with his quick reply, with the radio host quipping: ‘An exceptional answer! It’s been an absolute pleasure and I’ll get your number later!’
Last December, Laura brutally rejected Love Island star Charlie Brake after he asked her out on Twitter.
The broadcaster was in high spirits after her beloved Arsenal beat West Ham 3-1 and took to Twitter to show her love for one player in particular.
Laura initially tweeted to her 662k followers at full-time on Boxing Day: ‘Ben White is magic’. Charlie then slid into the replies by responding: ‘You’re magic,’ complete with a wand emoji.
She responded with three laughing emojis and: ‘Thank you Charlie.’
Charlie then asked her out for dinner, with Laura politely declining by saying: ‘I’m not hungry but thank you’.
Fans were left in stitches on the social media sit after Laura publicly shot him down and they got involved in the comments section.
The latest in Laura’s romantic advances has been with boxing heavyweight legend Anthony Joshua, whom she interviewed at the weekend after his win against Jermaine Franklin
Laura Woods asked Anthony Joshua who his dream date would be in a post-fight interview
The heavyweight boxer inspired a celebration from the talkSPORT presenter after saying ‘you’
The latest in Laura’s romantic advances has been with boxing heavyweight legend Anthony Joshua, whom she interviewed at the weekend after his win against Jermaine Franklin.
On Saturday night, Woods, asked him on IFL TV what he thought of her career, to which he replied: ‘I think it’s blossomed amazingly, just like you.
Anthony Joshua called Laura Woods his ‘dream date’ in a flirty interview with the presenter after his win over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night.
Later in the interview, Joshua replied ‘you’ when questioned on his dream date, at which point Woods punched the air and told him ‘this is perfect!’.
AJ then joked about how Ruben Loftus-Cheek had ‘beaten him to it’ after the Chelsea midfielder named Woods as his dream crush in a recent talkSPORT interview.
With such good chemistry shown during their casual sit-down interview post-fight on Saturday, it leads you to wonder how well the pair might match up – and if that chat is anything to go by, then it seems very, very well!
Now how does her potential love-match Anthony Joshua square up to Laura’s needs and busy work schedule? Lets find out…
ANTHONY JOSHUA
Career highlights
Born in Watford on October 15, 1989, Anthony Joshua, 33, spent some of his earlier years in Nigeria attending Mayflower Boarding School in Ikenne but returned to the UK when he was 12.
He went to school in Hertfordshire and showed his sporting abilities from a young age, particularly in football and athletics when he broke his school’s 100m record in year nine with a time of 11.6 seconds.
His mother Yeta is Nigerian, and his father Robert is of Nigerian and Irish, and his cousin Ben Ileyemi is also a professional boxer, with the pair having made their professional debuts in 2013 together.
Joshua only began boxing aged 18 in 2007, typically a much later start than most in the sport, after his cousin suggested he take it up.
Born in Watford on October 15, 1989, Anthony Joshua, 33, spent some of his earlier years in Nigeria attending Mayflower Boarding School in Ikenne but returned to the UK when he was 12 (pictured in March this year)
Two years later he won the 2009 and then 2010 Haringey Box Cup after getting stuck into training with his club, Finchley ABC in Barnet, north London, which is also home to professional heavyweight Derek Chisora.
That same year he turned down £50,000 to become professional after winning the senior ABA Championships, to which he said: ‘Turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn’t take up the sport for money, I want to win medals.
He got his place on the Team GB boxing team in 2010 as well, and what followed was becoming the British amateur champion and runner-up in the 2011 European Championships.
The heavyweight boxer secured his place in the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he won gold after his bout with reigning Olympic champion at the time and two-time world champion, Italian Roberto Cammarelle.
He turned professional on July 11, 2013, with his debut on October 5, 2013 where he went up against Italian Emanuele Leo and won at the O2 Arena in London.
Joshua’s wins continued for another six years up until his first loss in June 2019, when he battled it out with Andy Ruiz Jr. He later won their rematch in December that year.
His other two losses, which leave him with only three out of his 28 professional fights, were against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 and August 2022.
Dating history
Anthony has been linked to several women but only ever been confirmed to have officially been with one woman.
The boxing champion shares a son with dance teacher Nicole Osbourne, who gave birth to Joseph Joshua, affectionately known as JJ to his dad, in 2015.
Nicole, who is understood to have taught classes at a gym in Watford, lives in a £500,000 flat in Finchley, north west London, paid for by Joshua, reports the Irish Mirror.
His eight-year-old boy is his pride and joy, so much so that he has no desire for JJ to become a boxer like himself.
Speaking to GQ in November 2018, Joshua said: ‘It’s too hard. It’s a dangerous sport. I want my son to be the best man that he can be, but I don’t want him to be compared to me.
‘You’re not going to be a boxing star without going through heaps of pain. Life is not a highlight reel. A career is not a highlight reel.
‘People see the glamour, the winning. Nobody’s interested in the knocks and bruises, the bad eye, the struggle. My son has the bloodline for it, there’s no doubt about that…’
Besides his love for his only son, Joshua has been romantically linked to several beautiful women in the entertainment industry after being snapped alongside them at star-studded events.
Back in 2014 just a year after his professional debut as a boxer, Joshua met English supermodel Cara Delevingne after they met at a basketball match in London’s 02 Arena in January.
They were snapped at the event while both looking pleased to be in each other’s company, with Cara taking a shine for the sportsman’s muscular physique.
Anthony has been linked to several women but only ever been confirmed to have officially been with one woman. Back in 2014 just a year after his professional debut as a boxer, Joshua met English supermodel Cara Delevingne after they met at a basketball match in London’s 02 Arena in January (pictured)
Also in 2016, Joshua met American supermodel Bella Hadid at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards, where they posed for a photo together. The two looked like a gorgeous pairing, and Joshua in particular looked very pleased to be in Hadid’s company (pictured on September 6, 2016)
He was also linked to TV presenting beauty Maya Jama, the famous ex-girlfriend of rapper Stormzy after they were on a shoot together in 2019
Maya Jama and Anthony Joshua are pictured at the BOSS capsule collection photocall with Anthony Joshua at Hugo Boss Regent Street on September 2, 2020
Not long after being linked to blonde beauty Cara, in September 2014 he reportedly caught the eye of her popstar pal Rita Ora. The Sun also reported that they got along very well at the GQ Men Of The Year after party, with the songstress ‘touching up’ the athlete
In one picture, the model grabbed his arms with a funny look on her face, and The Sun later reported that following their meet they went on to swap flirty texts.
A source told the publication: ‘Cara and Anthony hit it off at the game. They chatted and sheasked for a picture. They swapped numbers and have had a few texts since.
‘Although with Cara travelling the world and Anthony training hard for his upcoming fight, there’s been no time to meet.’
Not long after being linked to blonde beauty Cara, in September 2014 he reportedly caught the eye of her popstar pal Rita Ora.
The Sun also reported that they got along very well at the GQ Men Of The Year after party, with the songstress ‘touching up’ the athlete.
Also in 2014, a few months being linked to Cara, Joshua was said to have caught the eye of the pin-up’s BFF, popstar Rita Ora.
In 2016, Geordie Shore personality Chantelle Connelly (pictured) revealed that Joshua had asked for her phone number – until he vehemently denied the claim
The Sun reported that the pair were spotted getting along famously, to the point of flirting, at a party hosted by men’s magazine GQ.
Two years later, Geordie Shore personality Chantelle Connelly revealed that Joshua had asked for her phone number.
The former stripper previously claimed that he asked for her number and that she was hurt when she – along with his shocked fanbase – found out that he had a secret child last month.
Friends of then-26-year-old Anthony told MailOnline on Friday that the pair never dated, and he has no awareness of the reality show newbie because he doesn’t watch TV.
She told The Sun: ‘Everyone knows how much I’m in love with Anthony Joshua. I met him at this boxing thing. He’s absolutely beautiful. We swapped numbers – well, he asked for my number’
But he quickly shut down this claim and told The Mirror: ‘Anthony is 100 per cent not dating Chantelle and does not even remember meeting her.’
A source closer to the boxer told MailOnline: ‘He literally has no idea who she is. He gets asked for pictures by fans all the time. Anthony doesn’t watch TV, so he wasn’t aware she is on Geordie Shore.’
Fans later noticed that the two of them began interacting on each other’s social media profiles, leading some to believe they might be an item.
He was also linked to TV presenting beauty Maya Jama, the famous ex-girlfriend of rapper Stormzy after they were on a shoot together.
Most recently, Joshua has been flirtatious with sports presenter Laura Woods, when they connected on their busy work schedules and not having time for a partner.
But Laura appeared to be very interested in understanding how flexible Joshua was in regards to relaxing his rule of no dating while he boxes.
While speaking to Laura during an interview over the weekend, Joshua asked the presenter: ‘Are you in a relationship?’ and Laura said: ‘No, I’m not, are you?’, with Joshua replying: ‘No I’m not no.’
Laura continued: ‘I’m too focused on work, is that what you are?’ Hesitating, Joshua said: ‘Erm yeah,’ before Laura joked: ‘We have so much in common!’
Joshua laughed, continuing: ‘With boxing I feel I didn’t want to commit because I didn’t want to go training and be busy arguing with my Mrs or something, and my head is not in the game so I just decided to keep my head where it needs to be.’
Laura asked: ‘Is that an actual thing that’s happened when you’ve gone to training and she’s gone “What are you doing”?’ Joshua: ‘Obviously I’ve seen good relationships and I’ve seen bad ones…’
Laura then quipped: ‘You know what this screams to me? That you haven’t met the right woman.’ Joshua replied: ‘Nah I know some good women, for sure – I know some really amazing women but it’s me, it’s not them.’
Most recently, Joshua has been flirtatious with sports presenter Laura Woods, when they connected on their busy work schedules and not having time for a partner
Joshua defeated Franklin by unanimous decision on Saturday night but it wasn’t convincing
Woods let the heavyweight start down, though, replying she was ‘too focused on work’
He then confirmed that he’d put more focus into his love life once he finishes his career with boxing.
Laura wanted to give Anthony some of the positives while still being in the midst of his sporting career it seemed: ‘On the other side of that argument, don’t you think that maybe you need a bit of light and shade…
‘It can’t always be only that, you know what I mean? Maybe some balance…’
Anthony replied: ‘I know what you’re saying but then what happens now when I go Texas for four months?’ and Laura says: ‘Take her with you!’
He added: ‘Nah, nah… what it is when you’re training, the last thing you want to be doing is coming home and having to… I’m free, I’m so free, I don’t have any pressure from my neck or back from anyone.’