Anthony Joshua vows to be ‘good soldier’ for parents of friends killed in crash
By Duncan Bech, Press Association
Anthony Joshua is dedicating his pursuit of becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion to the grieving parents of the two close friends killed in a car crash in December.
Joshua takes on little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga in Jeddah on July 25th in his first appearance since surviving the fatal road accident in Nigeria which claimed the lives of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Ghami and Ayodele were members of Joshua’s team as well as long-term friends and, for a period of time, it was uncertain whether the 36-year-old, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, would continue fighting.
But he has been given renewed meaning by his duty to serve as a “good solider” for their families, declaring that his mission in a 2026 that will include a seismic showdown with Tyson Fury in October or November is “bigger than me”.
“I have to put my emotions to the side because I focus on the parents,” said Joshua, who was speaking to the media for the first time since the crash.
“My emotions can come at a later stage, but I really look at their parents and I understand it must be most difficult for them.
“So I don’t make it about me, I make it about them. I make it about the mums and the dads of the two boys.
“Everyone does it differently, but for me that’s the best way of handling the situation. It’s not about me, it’s bigger than me.
“I’m just there for their parents. It’s about being a good soldier for them because I’ve got to look after them.
“This is my purpose. Boxing is not only good for the competitive side of things, it’s also quite therapeutic, it gives us fighters a lot of purpose and that’s what it does for me.”
Since the crash Joshua has become unlikely allies with Oleksandr Usyk, his conqueror over two fights, and the rivals have been training together in Valencia.
Apart from learning technical improvements alongside Usyk, he has also been taught the power of prayer and been instilled with renewed self-belief after the Ukrainian great backed him to become the division’s undisputed champion.
“I had to take time to think about that and at first I was like, ‘F****** hell!’,” Joshua said. “But I get it. Why not? I can, I can. He sees it, I know I can do it, so let’s just f****** go for it.
“That’s the goal, how do we get there? Don’t just say it, lay out the roadmap. Give me work. You tell me what to do, I’ll do it. So that’s the roadmap – undisputed champion.
“July 25 is like getting back on that gravy chain. Obviously there’s going to be some really tough nights, but I think I’m the man to go through these tough nights and get the job done.”
Joshua is expected to face Fury at Wembley, although the details for the biggest fight in British boxing history have yet to be announced.
The Fury bout would end the two-fight deal signed with Saudi Arabia’s boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, with Joshua planning to fight for three more years.
