Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has sent a message of support to Anthony Joshua after the Brit’s recent tragedy.
The two-time unified heavyweight champion was involved in a car crash in Nigeria on December 29 which led to the tragic deaths of Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
The tragic accident took place just days after Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19.
Ghami and Ayodele were pronounced dead at the scene whilst Joshua was taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The 36-year-old has now returned to the UK to continue with his recovery.
Joshua released a video on social media earlier this week to thank everyone for their incredible support in what has been an extremely difficult couple of weeks for the 36-year-old from Watford.
Speaking to the media recently, Joshua’s long-term rival Deontay Wilder sent a heartfelt message out to ‘AJ’ as he says he hopes the two-time heavyweight champion ‘heals very well’ from the tragic situation.
“My heart went out to him immediately, you know, it’s not a good feeling nor a good thought when certain situations happen like that especially when we got a fellow mate that’s in boxing.
“To go through something tragic like that, to see certain things that happened to family members, to friends or whatever, it’s a devastating situation that happened. I hope he heals very well from it, mentally, physically and emotionally.”
Joshua is likely to take some time away from the spotlight before he makes a decision on his future. It has been suggested that the 36-year-old could go on to announce his retirement from boxing, although a final decision is expected to be made in the coming months.
