Anthony Joshua is set to meet with the Mayor of Watford to discuss his plans to invest in the town.

The WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion made clear of his intentions to support Watford on Saturday, telling the Watford Observer that he has “so many plans” for the community.

Now, Watford Borough Council has confirmed that a date is being arranged for Mayor Peter Taylor to meet with Joshua to discuss the champion boxer's plans for the borough.

Joshua, who is from Watford, was speaking during a Black Lives Matter protest in the town following the controversial death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Speaking to the Watford Observer, the heavyweight boxer said he is keen to find somewhere in the town to invest “hard-worked cash” into the community.

He said: "What I do have to say is there is a lot of stuff happening around the world but I know when I come back to my community it's important that we get things right here.

"It's all about being the change you want to see.

"We are asking for a bit of direction.

"Our community wants to uplift each other. I've got so many plans.

"All we need from the local Mayor is somewhere we can purchase to plough our hard-worked cash into the community.

“We’re not trying to do developments, we’re looking to give it back to the community where we can hold shelter, where we can give food, where we can give clothes and where we can listen to what people need.

"When you listen to what people need it solves the problem."

Read more:

WATCH: Anthony Joshua wants to invest in Watford

Anthony Joshua leads Black Lives Matter march through Watford​

Following his comments, Mr Taylor said he was “pleased” that Joshua is keen on supporting town.

He said: “Like many people, I was horrified by the death of George Floyd. Watford's diversity is one of our real strengths and we must always challenge injustice and racism wherever we see it.

“I'm pleased that Anthony Joshua is looking at ways he can support our community and will be discussing this with him. Anthony is a role model to many people in our town.

“We all want to make sure that every Watford resident can achieve their potential.”

Meanwhile, Joshua has told critics who accused him of being a racist to “go f***” themselves following a speech he read out at the Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday on behalf of someone else.

In an edited video clip without context that was uploaded to social media, Joshua could be heard saying: “Show them where it hurts.

“Abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses.”

The following day, Joshua said on twitter : “If you think I'm a racist, go f*** yourself!

“If you watch the full video, the speech was passed around for someone to read and I took the lead.

“I personally spoke from the heart about the Watford community, ideas of us personally investing seven figures to create unity and opportunities and adding change to the African/Caribbean community.

“Shops aren't the issue here. Before you talk s***, you better boycott racism.”