Boxing helping Anthony Joshua cope with friends’ deaths – Hearn
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“This is his kind of safe place. This is his place where he can concentrate his mind. It’s been an extremely difficult period, but AJ is a very determined individual, and a lot of the grief and pain he carries, he’s channeling into his training,” Hearn said.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that boxing has become a source of solace for heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as he continues to grieve the loss of two close friends in a tragic car accident in Nigeria last December.
Joshua, 36, survived the accident while visiting Nigeria, where his parents were born. Childhood friend Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami were killed in the crash. The tragedy forced Joshua to take a break from training and cast doubts over his boxing future.
Hearn told SunSport in Egypt that the gym has been central to Joshua’s recovery. “This is his kind of safe place. This is his place where he can concentrate his mind. It’s been an extremely difficult period, but AJ is a very determined individual, and a lot of the grief and pain he carries, he’s channeling into his training,” Hearn said.
The promoter added that much of Joshua’s work in the gym is dedicated to the memory of his late friends. “A lot of what he does is for his friends and brothers, Sina and Latz. There’ll be pain in his mind and heart, but he’s focused on what he loves and what they all used to do together — training and working hard,” Hearn explained.
Joshua is currently in Egypt supporting Oleksandr Usyk, who defends his WBC heavyweight title against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. Hearn said training alongside the pound-for-pound number one has significantly boosted Joshua’s morale and fitness.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Hearn said. “He’s in a tremendous place — one of the best training camps in the world. He’s enjoying training, improving, fitter than ever, and motivated about the future.”
The turnaround has been so profound that Joshua, who had considered 2026 potentially his final year in boxing, is now reportedly planning to continue for another three years. “Right now, he’s talking about another three years. He’s training harder than ever and pushing himself outside his comfort zone. This camp has given him exactly that environment,” Hearn said.
Joshua is scheduled to return to the ring on July 25 in Riyadh against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga, marking his first fight since the accident. Contracts are already in place for a highly anticipated showdown with Tyson Fury, targeted for November.
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