Anthony Joshua says friends’ deaths have not fully sunk in before next fight

Anthony Joshua has spoken candidly about the emotional weight of returning to boxing after the deaths of two close friends and members of his team, saying the loss has not yet fully “sunk in”. The former heavyweight champion is preparing for his first fight since those deaths, and his comments underline how much the period around the bout has been shaped by grief as well as training. According to BBC Sport, Joshua said he is not ready for the reality of the loss to fully settle in, a response that reflects how people sometimes process sudden bereavement in stages rather than all at once. For a boxer, major fights are usually framed around conditioning, strategy and weight management. In Joshua’s case, there is now an added emotional layer. The build-up to a contest can be a highly disciplined, public process, but personal loss does not pause for it. That tension — between the demands of elite sport and private grief — is part of what makes his remarks notable. The report does not give full details about the two men’s deaths, and it is important not to speculate about circumstances that have not been publicly set out. What is clear is that they were close enough to Joshua to be described as friends and team members, meaning their absence will likely be felt both personally and professionally. Joshua has long been one of British boxing’s most recognisable figures, and his return to the ring tends to attract wide attention well beyond the sport’s core audience. That makes any off-ring issue part of the wider story. Fans are likely to read his latest comments not as a dramatic pre-fight statement, but as a rare glimpse into how an athlete copes when a major career moment arrives during a period of mourning. There is also a wider reminder here about the human side of sport. Fighters are often judged only by results, but they train and compete while carrying the same shocks, losses and family pressures as anyone else. Joshua’s description suggests he is still in the early stages of processing what has happened, and that the emotional impact may continue to unfold after the bout itself. At present, the BBC Sport report provides a limited but significant update: Joshua is moving toward a fight, but he is doing so while still coming to terms with the deaths of two people who were close to him. That context will add a different tone to his next appearance in the ring, even if the sporting questions around his performance remain unchanged. What remains unclear from the available details is how the losses have affected his camp day to day, whether any tribute plans are being made around the fight, or how Joshua himself expects the emotional strain to shape his preparations. For now, his comments suggest only that this is a difficult chapter that he is still learning to live with.

Source: BBC Sports - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/articles/czjl3em4g74o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss