Promoter Eddie Hearn says he will not push Anthony Joshua into making decisions about his boxing future following the death of two close friends in a car crash in Nigeria last month.
Joshua’s friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele died in a crash near Lagos on December 29. The British heavyweight was in the car at the time but escaped major injury.
While Joshua paid tribute to his friends on Instagram on Thursday, Hearn has also spoken about the fighter’s current situation, stressing that boxing is not a priority.
“Since the accident, I’ve had people phoning me saying: ‘What’s the update…’ The reality is, this is not the time for updates, this is not the time for careers,” Hearn told Matchroom Boxing’s YouTube channel.
“This is a time for faith and prayer and healing for Anthony. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, you’ve got to give him time. We’re not interested in the future.
“We’re interested in Anthony and his wellbeing and obviously the wellbeing as much as possible of the friends and family that are effected by this tragic incident.”
Hearn also reflected on the impact Ghami and Ayodele had on Joshua’s life, describing them as far more than members of his professional team.
“Sina would walk into a room and just light it on like: ‘Come on!’ He was just the absolute energy lifter. And Latz the same. A really deep individual, a man of extreme faith and positivity. And we’ll miss them dearly,” Hearn said.
“These are people who had incredible families and big groups and networks of friends. I know people talk about members of AJ’s team, but they were much more than that obviously. They were some of his best mates.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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