Anthony Joshua and the meaning of being a true Champion!

Anthony Joshua has not only proven to be a great boxer inside the ring, but also a generous and fantastic man in his daily life. Few days ago, the British heavyweight champion has decided to donate and to support boxing gyms and boxing clubs in England, Scotland and Wales during this hard financial time. The amateur boxing industry has been severely affected by the financial crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and several of them are at risk of shutting down.

After the example of Callum Smith, another great British boxer has shown that true boxing champions are not only those who can display several boxing belts, but also special people willing to help outside the ring. Anthony Joshua has decided to provide financial assistance to all those boxing gyms and boxing clubs in the UK which are financially struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And, if possible, his message was even more heart-touching of his action. The 31-year-old heavyweight world champion has explained that sports, and in particular boxing, have given him a lot and he is ready to give back helping the amateur boxing industry.

Anthony Joshua also brought to the attention of the Government institutions and boxing enthusiasts the issues those organizations are experiencing from a financial perspective. Anthony Joshua continued mentioning that these boxing clubs are often the heart of local communities, and on many occasions are on the front lines of helping adults and children to cope with physical and mental challenges. The boxer stated that he was the first that relied on his local gym when he was young and, still according to Joshua, he would have been a different person without that support. In this regard, Joshua also took the opportunity, among others, to fund the gym he grew up in, Finchley ABC, by giving away new training equipment.

A gift that will be extended also to the regional federations of England, Scotland and Wales, thanks also to the help of one of Joshua’s main partners, Under Amour, who offered to donate the products, thus joining the economic offer of the champion. Gethin Jenkins, CEO of the England Boxing Ltd., wanted to personally thank Anthony Joshua announcing to the boxing clubs that the rules and regulations to have access to those funds will be issued soon. The presidents of the Welsh and Scottish federations, Colin Metson and Kevin Bell also echoed Gethin Jenkins’ words thanking Joshua for his generosity and support.

Anthony Joshua has really shown a huge amount of generosity helping indirectly all the future boxing champions and the future of this sport in the United Kingdom. We should not forget that those amateur boxing gyms and clubs, where most of us started boxing or visited at least one in their life, are the places where also Super-champions like Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, etc. has started their career. They truly represent the backbone of this sport and without them, it will be hard to light up the MGM in Vegas or Madison Square Garden in New York for great fights. Thanks, AJ and Merry Christmas to everyone!