Anthony Joshua’s family make feelings clear on potential July boxing return as Brit continues recovery from tragic crash
ANTHONY JOSHUA’s family will “fully” support him if he chooses to return to the ring.
AJ’s fighting future has been up in the air since the fatal car crash which killed his two close friends and team members, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, in Nigeria last December.
JUST IN: Why Eddie Hearn Walks Back Anthony Joshua July Return Talk
Joshua, 36, miraculously escaped the horror smash with minor injuries by swapping seats moments before the ill-fated journey took place.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion has yet to speak on his fighting future, although he has been training and spoken of plans to honour his late friends.
And according to his uncle Ademola, the entire Joshua family will throw their weight behind him should he choose to lace up his gloves again.
Ademola told Nigerian newspaper The Punch: “We are proud of him, very proud of him.
“The way we, the elderly, think is very different from theirs, but it is all at his discretion.
“He makes the full decision, and we have full respect for him, whatever he decides.
“Whatever he has decided within himself, we will support him fully.”
Watching his nephew – who last fought in December against Jake Paul – trade yet more blows with some of the hardest-hitting humans on the planet won’t be easy for Ademola.
He said: “Each time he’s knocked down, it is just like the heart is coming out of our chest.
“All these emotional feelings whenever he’s fighting, it’s too much trauma for us also.”
Ademola’s comments on AJ potentially fighting again come on the back of promoter Eddie Hearn revealing he’s tentatively targeting a July return for the Watford warrior.
He told Boxing Scene: “[He was] due to fight in March, then fight Tyson Fury in August.
“That’s not happening anymore. He won’t be fighting Tyson Fury next.
“He’s going to come back late summer but physically he’s not in a position to return to camp.
“So I’m planning, but he’s just resting and preparing.
“We’ve really not had any solid plans to announce what’s next. I’m looking at options to get him in the ring in July time.
“But we’ll only know if that’s a real possibility when he returns to camp, which will hopefully be in the next couple of weeks.
“I think there’s nothing more that he wants at the moment than to return to training camp because it’s where he loves to be.”
