Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted that the British heavyweight may never box again following a car crash that killed two of his closest friends.
The funerals of Joshua’s strength coach Sina Ghami and his personal trainer Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele took place on Sunday January 4 at a London mosque after the pair were killed in a road traffic accident near Lagos at the end of December.
Joshua narrowly avoided death after changing seats before the vehicle set off on its journey. He spent New Year in hospital before jetting home, with many doubting whether he will compete again.
Now, though, he is back in the gym, and he shared snaps of him working out and hitting pads in mid-January in what he branded ‘mental strength therapy’ on his Snapchat.
His boxing future has been up in the air and hardly discussed up until this point, but Hearn, who has been by Joshua’s side since he turned professional in 2013, has spoken out.
‘I have not had the opportunity to see him since the terrible crash,’ he told IFL. ‘It’s not easy.
Anthony Joshua may never box again following his car crash, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn (pictured)
Joshua pictured with friends Latif Ayodele (centre) and Sina Ghami who both died in the crash
‘He is keeping himself busy. Physically, he is getting himself over the injuries that he suffered. They are not injuries that will affect him long-term moving forward. But they are injuries that will take time.
‘Boxing is a tough and rough sport. You can’t just go back in camp with injuries like that and I do not know when or even if he will go back into camp.
‘At the moment, there is no conversation or no need to have a conversation about that.’
Joshua was linked with fighting long-term rival Tyson Fury early on this year, but any negotiations that were going on have likely been put on hold for now.
It was put to Hearn that his client is in the gym, but the promoter insisted that is not out of the ordinary and that it gives no indication on his future in the ring.
‘AJ will always train,’ Hearn continued. ‘Do not forget that boxing changed his life forever and he will never leave the gym.
‘What you are seeing at the moment is not him training for his return. He is training for his own mind. And he is training for himself to recover and repair. I just cannot believe his strength and resilience.’
Joshua landed at London Stansted Airport on January 2 and has been recuperating at his mansion.
Joshua has returned to boxing training, sharing footage of sessions earlier on this month
Hearn said that Joshua is ‘keeping himself busy’ and his training is ‘not for a return’
He posted a photo ahead of the funeral in which he posed with the relatives of his two friends. He captioned the post: ‘My brothers keeper.’
Speaking on the incident for the first time, Joshua wrote on Instagram on January 8: ‘Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are.
‘I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men.
‘100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents. I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers.’
