The devastating car crash that claimed two of his close friends has brought renewed attention to Anthony Joshua’s deep connection to Nigeria, the homeland that helped shape the boxing champion he is today.
Joshua, born in the UK to Nigerian father Robert and mother Yeta (who has Irish heritage), was traveling through his ancestral region of Ogun State when tragedy struck. The journey from Lagos to the town of Sagamu was meant to be a celebration with family and friends following his victory over Jake Paul, which earned him £70 million.
Nigeria has been central to Joshua’s journey, and he has become one of the nation’s most celebrated sons. Nearly a year ago, he visited Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s residence, presenting an autographed boxing glove. The president called him “a true champion and worthy ambassador of Nigeria.” Now, President Tinubu has spoken with Joshua from his hospital bed under heartbreaking circumstances.
Daily Mail Sport examines Joshua’s profound ties to his Nigerian heritage and his ongoing commitment to strengthening bonds with his community.
Noble Heritage
Joshua’s Nigerian ancestry runs deep. A 2018 Telegraph Sport report revealed he descends from Omo-Oba Daniel Adebambo Joshua, a Sagamu aristocrat known locally as Baba. After building wealth across various industries, Baba Josh founded a school and church in Sagamu while acquiring multiple properties.
Joshua’s family belongs to one of four ruling houses eligible to produce an heir to become the Akarigbo of Remo, the traditional king of the Ogun State region centered in Sagamu.
Though not fully fluent, Joshua speaks some Yoruba, the language of his ethnic group. Close friends and relatives often call him “Femi,” from his middle name Oluwafemi, meaning “God loves me” in Yoruba.
Formative Years at Nigerian Boarding School
Joshua’s first deep immersion in Nigerian culture came at age 11, when his mother Yeta returned to Nigeria to start a business. He was enrolled at The Bells boarding school in Ikenna, an experience that profoundly shaped his character.
Writing in The Players’ Tribune, Joshua described how “discipline is on another level” at Nigerian schools. After his move, “everything was about structure.”
“We would iron our clothes in the morning and wash them at night. We had to respect our elders. Always. Every morning we’d have to fetch our own water, but an older kid in the class might just take your water and there would be nothing you could do about it. So you’d have to get smart. Adapt. Maybe get a friend among the older guys, you know?”
Joshua learned “the language, the dialect, the expressions” of his homeland, and importantly, “how to protect myself.” When he returned to the UK six months later, the 12-year-old was “so much stronger” than his cousins.
Joshua later admitted he hadn’t been prepared, thinking the trip was just a family holiday. “At the time you think, ‘why?’, but as you get older, you think it was good that you experienced it. It was good for me.”
The discipline was severe. “We got beaten,” Joshua acknowledged. “That’s my culture: beating. The government raise your kids now; parents aren’t allowed to raise their kids, because there is so much control about what you do or what you say. In the Nigerian culture, it’s family, outside support; everyone has a role in raising the kids.”
When Joshua returned to the UK at 12, he thought he was “in heaven.”
Olympic Dreams in Green and White
Before Joshua rose to fame with Team GB, he nearly competed for Nigeria at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“He reached out to us, asking to be part of our Olympic team, so we invited him to come down and take part in trials,” recalled Obisia Nwankpa, former chief coach of Nigeria’s boxing team, in April 2017. “Unfortunately, he did not appear when we asked him to and came down only when we had finished our trials, finalised our team and were about to travel for a training tour. Maybe other coaches would have accepted it, but I could not.”
Former Nigerian boxer Jeremiah Okorodudu claims harsher words were exchanged: “When they turned him back, they told him that if he was that good, he should have fought for Britain.”
Joshua took that advice, ultimately winning gold for Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.
His connection to his heritage remained strong. Joshua has the African continent tattooed on his arm with Nigeria prominently outlined, symbolizing his wish to be “a representation of people.” “I’ve got it tattooed on my arm, so people can relate to me,” he said in 2017.
However, Joshua kept his distance from Nigeria for years. In June 2017, Tyson Fury called him out as a “plastic Nigerian” while pushing for their fight. “Big femi your bully street name,” Fury wrote. “I’ve seen your type many times. The man who can’t speak his own mind, the plastic Nigerian. I’m more Nigerian than you! I’ll fly the flag when we fight.”
Rekindling the Bond
After 17 years away, Joshua finally returned to Nigeria in 2019, following his shocking defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. that cost him his heavyweight titles. He chose to heal and rebuild in his homeland.
“When I went to Nigeria for the first time in maybe 17 years, I went there as a non-champion,” Joshua explained on Apple’s Songs for Life podcast. “And it was fine to go back, but people say, ‘Why did you come back as a non-champion?’ I say, ‘because you respect me as a person whether I have the belts or not.’ Don’t ever judge me for that. You respect me first.”
“So that was my message, and it was just the right time. When you’re winning, everyone wants a piece of you. When I lost, I had more time to do what I wanted.”
He spent time reconnecting with family and friends. His next visit was dramatically different. “I took my belts out there and connected with the people,” he said. “It means a lot that we went there. My cousin went there. My son went there for the first time, stuff like that. So it was good.”
His ties to Ogun State deepened further. In 2024, he was named sports ambassador for the state, with Governor Dapo Abiodun announcing plans to build an Anthony Joshua Indoor Boxing Ring in his honor.
“When I retire, probably I can think of setting up an academy in Nigeria, and if anyone wants to turn professional, we can also help them,” Joshua said recently.
Supporting His Communities
“To all Nigerians in the diaspora, you have a place to call home,” Joshua said after visiting Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the end of 2024. “I’ll continue to put my feet on the soil here and give back to communities.”
Joshua has made good on that promise, funding numerous initiatives benefiting his ancestral hometown, much as he does in Hertfordshire where he’s based.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Joshua sent gift boxes of necessities to the region and regularly supports it through his Clean Herts initiative. In 2022, his foundation donated food to over 5,000 people in Sagamu.
“As a family we’re very passionate about giving back to our community, whether in the UK or our homeland Nigeria,” his sister Janet Joshua told local media. “And it was the season, God said so, so we moved according to the will of God. We’re so proud and happy to put a smile on the people’s faces.”
His mother Yeta added: “I think the good thing to do is to give back to the community whenever you can. I know that Anthony does a lot in the UK and here in Nigeria as well.”
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