Eddie Hearn has spoken out after he visited Anthony Joshua at the NAS Sports Complex in Dubai on Sunday, describing the former heavyweight champion's mental fortitude as "inspiring" in the wake of earlier this month's devastating road accident.
The Matchroom Boxing chief met with the 36-year-old just days after Joshua returned to training for the first time since the fatal collision on December 29.
The crash near Lagos, Nigeria, claimed the lives of two members of Joshua's inner circle, Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele.
Both men were close friends as well as teammates of the British boxing star.
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Hearn posted an image on social media showing himself and Joshua seated on stationary bikes at the gym.
The promoter wrote: "Great to catch up with Anthony Joshua today. His resilience and strength is inspiring. The loss is heavy and he will take his time to get back on track but said he is truly grateful for all the support and the love shown for Latz and Sina."
The two-time world champion had been in Nigeria celebrating his sixth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul, which took place just ten days before the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan highway.
The SUV carrying Joshua collided with a stationary truck on the notorious Lagos-Ibadan highway, leaving the Watford-born fighter with minor injuries.
Eddie Hearn has spoken out after he visited Anthony Joshua at the NAS Sports Complex in Dubai on Sunday
|He was hospitalised following the incident but escaped more serious harm after reportedly swapping seats before the collision.
Ghami served as Joshua's strength and conditioning coach, whilst Ayodele worked as a trainer.
The funerals for both men took place earlier this month, with Joshua returning to the UK to pay his respects.
The boxer shared an emotional tribute to his fallen friends on Instagram.
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Anthony Joshua posted footage of himself training for the first time since the devastating road accident in Nigeria
| SNAPCHATHe wrote: "I didn't even realise how special they are. I'll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men."
Hearn has refused to discuss Joshua's fighting future, insisting the boxer deserves space to grieve.
The promoter told talkSPORT: "At the moment, Anthony needs time and privacy.
"There will be no conversations from us about his career."
The car crash has led to speculation surrounding Anthony Joshua's future
| XSpeaking to Sky Sports, Hearn elaborated: "He will need his time physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually before he makes a decision on his future. I do think he will want to return to boxing, but that will be his decision when the time is right.
“It is certainly not a conversation I’ll be having with him any time soon. The only conversation is, ‘Are you OK?’
“And sometimes we find people will give that facade of being OK, but what happened to him is not normal and heartbreaking for all involved.”
Prior to the tragedy, Joshua had been expected to fight in February or March, potentially setting up a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.
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