Anthony Joshua faces backlash over risky golf buggy stunt
Anthony Joshua has been branded “reckless, irresponsible and dangerous” by former world champion Johnny Nelson after footage emerged of the heavyweight star performing a risky golf buggy stunt, reports BritPanorama.
Joshua, currently preparing for a potential blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury, shared footage from a holiday in the Dominican Republic, where he was seen racing friends in separate buggies. At one stage, the 36-year-old appeared to try to move between the two vehicles while they were still travelling alongside one another.
“Loser do 100 press-ups,” Joshua captioned the clip, seemingly embracing the fun of the moment. However, the video sparked a furious reaction from Nelson, who expressed disbelief at Joshua’s recklessness, particularly given that it comes just eight months after Joshua survived a horrific car crash that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
In December, Joshua was involved in an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Nigeria, which left Ghami and Ayodele dead; Joshua emerged with what were described as minor injuries. Nelson stressed that the recent footage is especially difficult to comprehend given these tragic circumstances.
“I saw it, and I put my head in my hands,” Nelson told Boxing King Media. “I thought, ‘what are you thinking? What are you doing, man?'” He went on to compare his reaction to that of a concerned parent, insisting Joshua should not have put himself in such a risky situation, regardless of whether the footage was ultimately shared online.
“It looked dangerous, it looked reckless,” he continued, reflecting on the potential risks. “After everything that’s happened, to do something like that, it begs belief.”
Joshua, known for being openly emotional about his losses, broke down after a July match against Kristian Prenga, honouring his late friends with their names attached to his ring attire. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” he said in an emotional post-fight interview, encapsulating the personal impact of that tragedy.
This controversy comes at a pivotal moment in Joshua’s career, as negotiations for the highly anticipated “Battle of Britain” against Fury intensify. Fury recently teased “big news being dropped very, very soon” regarding the fight, heightening expectations among fans.
While November 20 and New York’s Madison Square Garden have emerged as the proposed date and venue for their bout, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has cautioned that further negotiations are required, particularly regarding contractual issues concerning the location. Hearn aims to host the fight in the UK, but its final venue remains uncertain.
As Joshua navigates both the complexities of his personal challenges and the professional hurdles ahead, it remains to be seen how this incident may influence public perception of one of boxing’s leading figures.
