Boxer Anthony Joshua makes first public appearance since car crash

LONDON – Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has made his first public appearance since he survived a car crash in Nigeria that killed his team members and close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

The 36-year-old had kept a low profile since the accident on Dec 29, but he was seen at London’s O2 Arena on April 4 watching a Derek Chisora bout.

Joshua was ringside as fellow Briton Chisora’s 50th and final fight of his career ended in a defeat on points by Deontay Wilder.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has said Joshua needs time to heal before considering stepping back into the ring.

Dressed in a white tracksuit, the fighter emerged with Hearn from a black vehicle as they walked into the arena past a number of camera crew.

Wilder came face to face with Joshua as he walked past the Briton after the fight. The two fist-bumped, and the American said, “Let’s do it.”

“It wasn’t a few words, I dapped it up with him and I said, now let’s get it on,” Wilder told reporters when asked about the exchange.

“I’m ready for whoever, long as these guys are in the heavyweight division, I am here. You can call me Mr Clean, because I want to clean up the whole division. The division is nothing without Deontay Wilder.”

Hearn told Fight Hub TV: “He said, let’s do it. AJ sort of stared at him ice-cold, but he would fight him no problem.”

Wilder, 40, was the WBC champion when Joshua held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, but a unified heavyweight championship bout between them never materialised, as Wilder went on to lose to Tyson Fury and Joshua lost his belts to Oleksandr Usyk.

Undefeated Usyk went on to become the unified champion when he beat Fury in May 2024.

Joshua last fought on Dec 19 when he faced YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami, but speculation continues over a potential bout with rival Fury.

Meanwhile, Lauren Price has targeted a potential showdown with two-time Olympic champion Claressa Shields after defeating Stephanie Pineiro on points to retain her welterweight world titles in Cardiff on April 4.

Price, who hails from Wales, won an Olympic gold medal for Britain at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The 31-year-old finished strongly to go the distance after a tough bout and earned a unanimous decision from the judges.

Following the bout, American star Shields entered the ring and faced off with the Welsh boxer, fuelling speculation about a future contest between the two.

“I want the biggest fights in boxing, and what a great honour it would be to share the ring with Shields,” the BBC quoted Price as saying.

“It is why I’m in the game, I want to fight the best. Credit to Shields – I respect her – but I back myself.”

Shields said discussions would be needed over the site of any bout but suggested a meeting towards the end of 2026, adding that it would probably be contested at middleweight.

“When you are an Olympic champion, you are a special fighter,” the BBC quoted Shields as saying.

“No disrespect to you, you’ve got a little bit of time. I’ve got one more fight and then we can fight at the end of the year.”

Shields, also 31, now holds the IBF, WBC, WBF and WBO heavyweight titles and remains unbeaten as a professional boxer with an 18-0 record. AFP, REUTERS