Anthony Joshua pays a heartfelt tribute to his late friends before his fight with Kristian Prenga
Anthony Joshua is planning to honor his late friends when he fights Kristian Prenga tonight (July 25) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The boxing ring’s canvas has been changed to include a special tribute.
After Tyson Fury’s quiet win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday (July 24), Joshua wants to stay focused and avoid any slip-ups. This fight against Albania’s Prenga is seen as a warm-up before a big all-British fight with Fury later this year.
This will be Joshua’s first fight since a tragic car accident in Nigeria last December, which took the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. They were not only childhood friends but also part of his team—Ayodele was Joshua’s personal trainer, and Ghami helped him with rehabilitation.
During fight week, Joshua shared with BBC Sport how hard it is to deal with the loss. He said, “It hurts… even talking about it now, looking at pictures, it hurts. But I keep myself busy because if I stop, it all sinks in, and I’m not ready for that yet.”
In another interview, Joshua told The Sun how the accident changed how he sees life. “Has it changed me? No, my core self is still strong. But I definitely see things differently now. Fate is unpredictable. Things can change in an instant.”
He added, “I don’t want to make this all about me. Others have lost parents and loved ones too, so you have to stay strong. If I let it get to me, it would ruin me. Many people are going through tough times, so I have to stay humble and keep it together.”
On fight day, Matchroom Boxing shared a photo of the ring with a heartfelt tribute near where Joshua will sit during breaks. It reads, “Latz x Sina. My Brother’s Keeper. M.B.K.”
If Joshua wins against Prenga, his professional record will improve to 34 wins and 4 losses.