Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has returned to training just 19 days after being involved in a car crash that claimed the lives of two close friends.
There had been doubts about Joshua’s boxing future after he sustained minor injuries in the December 29 accident on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. The crash claimed the lives of Kevin Latif Ayodele, his personal trainer, and Sina Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach.
Despite warnings from his promoter that he could be out of action for some time, Anthony Joshua posted further footage on Instagram on Friday showing him hitting pads with a trainer, again captioned “Mental Strength Therapy.”
The crash had sparked widespread speculation about whether Joshua would return to the ring. However, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, said earlier this week that the former world champion would be given all the time he needs to grieve and recover from the tragedy.
“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 from that, and I know he will take his time. He will need his time physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually before he decides on his future. I do think he will want to return to boxing, but that will be his decision when the time is right.”
