Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that boxing has become Anthony Joshua’s refuge as the heavyweight continues to grieve the deaths of two close friends killed in a car crash in Nigeria in December, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Joshua was visiting Nigeria, where his parents were born, when he was involved in the accident. He survived with injuries, but childhood friend Latif Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami lost their lives. The tragedy cast serious doubt over Joshua’s boxing future and understandably kept him away from training for a period.
He has since returned to camp, and Hearn told SunSport in Egypt that the gym has proven to be the most important factor in Joshua’s recovery.
“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, who defends his WBC heavyweight title on Saturday against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. The 36-year-old has been training alongside the pound-for-pound number one, an arrangement Hearn said has transformed Joshua’s outlook significantly.
“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.
The turnaround has been so complete that Joshua, who had discussed 2026 potentially being his final year in boxing, is now reportedly talking about continuing 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 returns to the ring on July 25 in Riyadh against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga, his first bout since the accident. Contracts are already signed for a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury, which is being targeted for November.
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