Promoter Eddie Hearn has disclosed that boxing has become Anthony Joshua’s escape as the former heavyweight champion continues to mourn two close friends who died in a car accident in Nigeria in December.
Joshua had travelled to Nigeria, the homeland of his parents, when the crash occurred. Although he survived with injuries, his childhood friend, Latif Ayodele, and recovery therapist, Sina Ghami, lost their lives. The incident raised concerns about Joshua’s future in boxing and kept him away from training for some time.
However, the British-Nigerian boxer has now returned to camp, with Hearn telling SunSport in Egypt that training has played a key role in helping Joshua cope with the tragedy.
“This is his kind of safe place. This is his place where he can concentrate his mind. And obviously, it’s been an extremely difficult period in his life, but AJ’s a very determined individual, and I think a lot of the grief and pain that he carries with him, he’s focusing into his training,” Hearn said.
“A lot of what he does is dedicated towards his friends and his brothers in Sina and Latz. And of course, there’ll be pain in his mind and his heart, but he’s focused on what he loves, and he’s focused on what they all used to do together, which was being in training camp and working hard.”
Joshua is currently in Egypt supporting Oleksandr Usyk ahead of Saturday’s WBC heavyweight title defence against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. Hearn said the 36-year-old’s time training alongside Usyk has had a major positive effect on him.
“I’ve never seen him like this. I just grabbed a word with Usyk there. I just wanted to thank him for allowing AJ into his camp and for all the motivation that he’s given him. Because he’s in a tremendous place — one of the best training camps in the world with the pound-for-pound number one pushing him every day. He’s enjoying training, he’s improving, he’s fitter than he’s ever been. But more than that, he’s motivated and excited about the future,” Hearn said.
According to Hearn, Joshua’s renewed mindset has been so remarkable that the boxer, who previously hinted that 2026 could mark the end of his career, is now considering remaining in the sport for another three years.
“We said today there was a time we were saying 2026 might be his last year in boxing. Right now, he’s talking about another three years. So yeah, he’s enjoying himself. You’ve got to understand this guy wants it more than ever, he’s training harder than ever. He’s going outside of his comfort zone to find the best environment for him. And he’s found that in this training camp,” Hearn said.
Joshua is scheduled to return to the ring on July 25 in Riyadh against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in his first fight since the accident. Contracts have also reportedly been signed for a much-anticipated clash with Tyson Fury, expected to take place in November.
