Anthony Joshua fought back tears as he dedicated his dramatic comeback victory over Kristian Prenga to two friends who died in a car crash seven months ago. Joshua was twice knocked down by Prenga in the first round of their bout but recovered to secure a knockout victory in the second.
Speaking after the fight, Joshua, 36, revealed the personal toll the deaths of Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele had taken. "That was spirit. That was Sina and Latz. That was the families," Joshua said, his voice emotional. "It's been tough." He appeared to tear up before adding, "They're my brothers. I don't want to talk about it."
Joshua wore a jacket bearing the names of his late friends, along with a dedicated message, as he entered the ring. This was his first fight since the car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of Ghami and Ayodele.
Promoter Eddie Hearn commented on the boxer's resilience. "Nobody can imagine what he's been through in that last seven months," Hearn told DAZN. "In that first round, I thought we'd come back too soon. Boxing got him through. To even be in the ring tonight is astonishing. You don't know what he's been through. He had to go to the depths one more time to get up, like he has done the last seven months."