Former boxing world champion Anthony Joshua back in gym after horror crash
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British boxer Anthony Joshua celebrating after defeating YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a bout on Dec 19.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Anthony Joshua is back in training for "mental strength therapy" after a car crash in Nigeria on December 29.
- The crash resulted in the deaths of two of Joshua's close friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, who were members of his team.
- Promoter Eddie Hearn stated Joshua will take his time to decide his future and return to boxing when he is "physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually" ready.
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LONDON – Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym for “mental strength therapy”, just weeks after a car crash which killed two of the former world heavyweight champion’s close friends.
The British fighter was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck
Joshua’s backroom team members Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami died in the crash,
Although his promoter warned he could be out of action for some time, the boxer shared online footage of himself hitting pads with a trainer on Jan 15.
Joshua captioned the clip, which he posted on Instagram, “Mental Strength Therapy”.
The crash sparked speculation as to whether Joshua will box again, but promoter Eddie Hearn said on Jan 14 that the 36-year-old would be given all the time he needed to cope with the loss of Ayodele and Ghami.
“I think AJ, as we have seen in the past on boxing-related stuff, is always a brave-face guy, a very positive guy,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
“This is very different to that and I know he will take his time.
“He will need his time physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually before he makes a decision on his future. I do think he will want to return to boxing, but that will be his decision when the time is right.”
The crash happened while Joshua was on holiday in Nigeria following his win against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami on Dec 19.
Both Ayodele, the personal trainer of the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, and Ghami, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, died at the scene of the crash.
Before the accident, there was fresh talk of a long-awaited bout between Joshua and Tyson Fury, the former world heavyweight champion who recently came out of retirement.
But Hearn said: “That is not a conversation that anyone is comfortable having... When the time is right, I believe he will make his decision and you will hear it from him.” AFP
