Posted by Samuel on Sun 18th Jan, 2026 - tori.ng
Recall that the British-Nigerian boxer was involved in a car crash that killed two of his close friends last month.
Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has thrown his support behind fellow boxer Anthony Joshua, encouraging him to return to the ring following the tragic loss of friends in a car accident.
Recall that the British-Nigerian boxer was involved in a car crash that killed two of his close friends last month.
The two-time heavyweight world champion was a passenger in a black Lexus when it ploughed into a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun.
Usyk, who fought and beat AJ in 2021 and 2022, said he has spoken to his old friend and rival since the fateful day in Nigeria and believes the Brit will not retire.
Joshua lost Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, who were friends but also integral to his team, and some believed he would not want to get back in the ring again.
Usyk had a heartfelt chat with the 36-year-old and told Ready to Fight: 'I’ve already spoken with him [Joshua].
'I heard a desire to continue in his voice – for the friends he lost and for the chance to live that the Lord gave him.
'Once I spoke with the mother of my fallen comrade, and she told me: "Oleksandr, he would be very proud that you are continuing your work; he will watch you from heaven".
'And he, I think, does that. And not just him, but all my loved ones who passed away defending our country. They are my guardian angels who help me in the ring.'
Joshua had been linked with a huge showdown against Tyson Fury this year but those plans are now on the backburner and promoter Eddie Hearn thinks he could step away from the sport for a while.
He told Sky Sports: 'He will need his time physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, before he makes a decision on his future.
'I do think he will want to return to boxing, but that will be his decision when the time is right.
'It is certainly not a conversation I’ll be having with him any time soon. The only conversation is, "Are you OK?"
'And sometimes we find people will give that facade of being OK, but what happened to him is not normal and heartbreaking for all involved.'
Earlier this week, AJ posted a video of him training in Dubai and captioned it: 'Mental strength therapy.'