Anthony Joshua with his close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. Photo: X/Complex.
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.
