BIG-hearted boxing hero Anthony Joshua has told SE of his heartbreak at the plight of strife-torn Ukraine — and how he is helping war victims.
The deposed world heavyweight champ, 32, faces the biggest fight of his life in August against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who took his four heavyweight crowns last year.
Fighting force Joshua donates funds to Ukraine and paid respect to opponent Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk & Anthony Joshua
AJ visited SE’s London office and put his feat up on our picture desk
On a visit to SE’s offices yesterday, he revealed he has been quietly making donations for months, buying medical supplies to ease civilian suffering in Ukraine.
And Joshua even paid tribute to 35-year-old hardman Usyk – who has been given special permission to take a break from fighting Russians to train for the rematch.
Battling Brit Anthony saluted Ukraine’s courage, but yesterday pledged to batter Usyk to become one of boxing’s comeback kings alongside boxing greats Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Speaking of Ukraine’s plight at the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Joshua told SE: “It upsets me how civilians always suffer the most.
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“The civilians are being hit hardest by the Russian tactics — just carpet bombing an area regardless of who’s there then just occupying it. I find that so upsetting.
“The whole point of having Nato and these bodies is to sit down and have discussions so civilians don’t get caught up in war and it’s hard to believe it’s happening again.
“War seems such an old fashioned way of settling scores — surely there are more civilised ways of doing things.”
Joshua revealed he has been speaking to former Ukrainian rival Wladimir Klitschko, 46, since Putin launched his bloodbath offensive in February, to find out how he can help the embattled nation.
He beat Klitschko — brother of fellow heavyweight star and current Kyiv mayor Vitali — in 2017 in an epic fight in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley to retain his world titles.
But the pair have since become friends and have spoken in recent months since Russia invaded.
Joshua told SE: “I spoke to him about donating to charities. I saw what was happening and just wanted to know if there was any way I could help.
“I’ve been doing this privately. He recommended I donate to groups taking first aid out to Ukraine.
“He asked me to do a video but I prefer to try to let my actions speak louder than my words.
“I try not to go out and buy Lamborghinis and Ferraris, big watches and gold chains and all that stuff and try to use some of my income to helps others.
“I’m now helping people in Ukraine and Nigeria as well as my own community in the UK and my home town, Watford.
“I’m giving to Ukraine now, when it matters, because it’s from the heart.”
The 6ft 6ins powerhouse’s generosity towards his forthcoming opponent’s nation was revealed in a touching moment as the pair staged a traditional stare-down.
For decades, boxers have ramped up pre-fight tension by staring at each other with a menacing gaze, refusing to show weakness by breaking first.
Usyk — who grabbed Joshua’s world titles in one of boxing’s greatest upsets last September — stared blankly at the Brit for nearly two minutes at a pre-fight event in Saudi Arabia, where the pair will fight on August 20.
But in a break with boxing tradition, Joshua broke first then asked his rival: “How’s your family?” Usyk replied: “Good”, before a smiling AJ offered his hand and said: “Everything in Ukraine — keep your head up, yeah?”
Joshua told SE yesterday: “The face-off doesn’t win the fight and neither does my attitude towards my opponent — winning the fight comes from doing what’s needed on the night. Showing your opponent respect, for me, is not a sign of weakness — it’s a sign of your character.
“We offered him enough time so he can prepare properly for the fight as we understood how tough it was for him. We didn’t give him a date he had to stick to.”
Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world titles in the 60s after refusing to fight in Vietnam — but confounded critics by returning to the ring to win them back.
And fellow-great George Foreman came out of retirement to win back the World Heavyweight crown at the age of 45 in what is seen as the greatest comeback of all time.
Now Joshua is set on joining the ranks of his sport’s comeback kings — to tee up a mega-money showdown with arch rival Tyson Fury, 33, to become undisputed World Heavyweight champ.
He said: “I used to think creating your status as a legend meant competing with the best and beating the best continuously — not having to come back.
“But you prove your mettle by coming back and that’s why this fight is so important. It’s 100 per cent the biggest challenge of my life.
“Coming back shows the other side of a person — how they deal with adversity. The general public can relate to that because when you are constantly winning you don’t seem normal.
“Now is my chance to showcase the steel that I have — that shows I’m a force to be reckoned with.”
AJ visited SE’s London office yesterday, where he posed with our Gareth Southgate cutout, put his feat up on our picture desk, and had fun in our red bus photo booth.
And he confirmed his sights are now firmly set on hauling WBC and The Ring world champion Tyson Fury, out of retirement for a Battle of Britain.
Earlier this week, Gypsy King Fury — who has never been defeated — taunted AJ sneering: “He couldn’t beat me up if he had a baseball bat and I was asleep.”
But Joshua said: “Tyson Fury can say whatever he likes about me but I won’t trash talk him now — I’ll do that when the time is right. Usyk is on my mind for now.”
Anthony at SE’s bus photo booth
Joshua posed with our Gareth Southgate cutout
Pals Joshua and Klitschko
