After the tragedy Anthony Joshua faced last month, Eddie Hearn is weighing in on when he can see him returning to the ring.
In a conversation on The Ariel Helwani Show, the promoter shared that he’s confident that Joshua will return to the ring.
“It almost looks like, being with him recently, boxing saved him — and it’s going to probably save him again,” Hearn said. “I feel he’ll fight on, and I feel he’ll do it of their honor. However it’s not going to be easy.”
Following Joshua’s knockout win over Jake Paul, the previous two-time unified world heavyweight champion was involved in a fatal automotive crash that claimed the lives of his personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami.
“After the Jake Paul fight, [Anthony Joshua] was on such a high,” Hearn continued. “Last 12 months was painful for him, coming off the defeat to Dubois… Just seeing him so glad after the Jake Paul fight, after which that happens — it’s devastating.”
While the tragedy has put the boxer’s profession into conversations on next steps, Hearn believes that “this too shall pass” for Joshua and his healing will proceed.
“He’s an inspiration. He really is. And that’s life. I all the time say, ‘This too shall pass.’ It’s certainly one of the good sayings. People think that saying is just for if you’re having a nasty time, but actually, it’s reflective on either side of the fence,” Hearn said.
Joshua has been quiet on social media following the tragedy but he did share a heartfelt post on Instagram. The photo was of the boxer sitting down next to the grieving moms and members of the family of his friends and teammates. Joshua captioned the solemn photo, “My Brothers Keeper.”
The previous heavyweight champion was discharged from hospital two days after the crash and suffered minor injuries after the Lexus SUV crashed on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway, in Nigeria on Dec. 29. As for the driving force, Adeniyi Kayode, he appeared in court last week and has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care, and driving with out a valid driver’s license.