Hearn says boxing is the medicine that can help Joshua deal with the pain of losing his friends in a tragic car crash

Renowned boxing promoter Eddie Hearn says only boxing can help Anthony Joshua deal with the pain of losing his two friends.

Joshua was visiting Nigeria, where his parents were born, in December when he was involved in a horrific car crash.

He survived with only injuries, but childhood pal Latif Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami tragically lost their lives.

AJ spent a period of time in mourning but has since returned to training camp – although doing so without two of his most trusted confidants.

The devastation quite rightly put his boxing future in doubt.

But he has since returned to training, which promoter Eddie Hearn revealed has acted as a vital haven for Joshua.

Joshua arrives in Egypt to support Usyk and continue training for the return fight

Hearn told SunSport in Egypt: “This is his kind of safe place. This is his place where he can concentrate his mind.

“And obviously, it’s been an extremely difficult period in his life, but AJ’s a very determined individual, and I think a lot of the grief and pain that he carries with him, he’s focusing on his training.

“A lot of what he does is dedicated towards his friends and his brothers, in Sina and Latz.

“And of course, there’ll be pain in his mind and his heart, but he’s focused on what he loves, and he’s focused on what they all used to do together, which was being in training camp and working hard.”

Oleksandr Usyk takes on the king of kickboxing, Rico Verhoeven, and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois.

Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.

The motorway smash came just ten days after Joshua, 36, beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 29, in six rounds of their Miami mismatch.

And it was also the first bout AJ had under his new training team, led by Oleksandr Usyk’s camp.

Joshua is now in Egypt to support Usyk, 39, who defends his WBC heavyweight world title on Saturday against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, 37.

And Hearn – promoting the controversial crossover clash – thanked Usyk for helping rejuvenate AJ.

He said: “I posted saying ‘AJ’s flying’ and someone replied, ‘You always say that!’ And, I actually do.

“But, I’ve never seen him like this. I just grabbed a word with Usyk there. I just wanted to thank you.

“Thank you for allowing him into your camp, and thank you for all the motivation that he’s given him.

“Because he’s in a tremendous place. He’s in, I think, one of the best training camps in the world with the pound-for-pound number one pushing him every day.

“He’s enjoying training, he’s improving, he’s fitter than he’s ever been. But more than that, he’s motivated and excited about the future.”

Joshua returns to the ring for the first time since losing Latz and Ghami on July 25 in Riyadh against little-known 20-1 Albanian Kristian Prenga, 35.

And contracts are already signed for an overdue super-fight against arch-rival Tyson Fury, 37, which is being eyed for November.

It was only last year that AJ admitted he could have just two fights left.

But training with Usyk looks to have put a couple more years on his already iconic career.

Hearn revealed: “We said today there was a time we were saying 2026 might be his last year in boxing.

“Right now, he’s talking about another three years. So yeah, he’s enjoying himself.

“And I’ve said to people before, like Carl Froch and people like that, when I’ve had little arguments, and he says, ‘Why is he doing it?’