ANTHONY JOSHUA attended the surprise birthday party for the boxing coach he credited for saving his life.
AJ first walked into the Finchley Amateur Boxing club aged 18 in a bid to get himself out of trouble on the streets of London.
And head trainer Sean Murphy guided Joshua to elite national championships before setting up an Olympic gold victory.
The two have remained close over the years and AJ was a guest at Murphy’s surprise bash – organised by Finchley ABC.
He posed alongside Murphy and posted a throwback snap of his amateur days with the caption: “Ride Or Die.”
Joshua won Olympic gold under Team GB head coach Rob McCracken and also the unified heavyweight titles as a professional.
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But they parted ways after defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 when he hired American Robert Garcia for the rematch.
After again losing on points, AJ linked up with Texan Derrick James in Dallas for victories over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.
But for Joshua’s last three bouts, he has been cornered by British coach Ben Davison.
Joshua, 35, was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, in September and now looks set for a return in the summer.
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AJ often goes back to Finchley at the start of his training camps or when he is in his off-season.
Joshua has given back to the club, paying for renovations in the gym and treating mentor Murphy to new cars.
He told the BBC in 2017: “When I was younger I was partying, I was getting in trouble, I had the court cases.
“This was the time I thought, ‘What will I do with myself?’. I’d found boxing while on bail and I had the opportunity to go to Vegas to fight.
“So I told my site manager I would go to Vegas and be back in two weeks.
“He said, ‘Nah, if you’re not here someone else can take your job. You choose what you want to do’. So, I ended up going to Vegas.
“I was f*** before boxing. That was my reckless days when I was smoking. Boxing really helped me get on the straight and narrow.
“It was at my first boxing club where I learned discipline. How to forget your ego and listen to instructions if you want to achieve things.
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“Sean would say, ‘Shut up, get on the bags, stop talking’. He told me to stay focused.
“These guys will always have their door open for me, no matter what. I’ll never forget who has been there when no one was.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
