Anthony Joshua, a unified heavy weight champion twice between 2016 and 2021. Anthony Joshua has always been conscious of his identity as a Nigerian. He even has Africa’s tattoo as a reference point. Anthony spent his early childhood in Nigeria and only came back in 2019.He had just lost a match. Here was what he had to say at the time:
“When I went to Nigeria for the first time in maybe 17 years, I went there as a non-champion. 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,” said Joshua.
This month, Anthony visited Nigeria and He has been seen enjoying the Nigerian life. He is not only a Nigerian but hails from Ogun State. It is not surprising however that the governor of the state honoured him as an ambassador.In this speech Anthony said.
Abiodun said: “Today, we had the privilege of welcoming Anthony Joshua, the world-renowned boxing champion and a proud son of Ogun State, to our office. He was accompanied by some of his family members during this special courtesy visit.
Anthony Joshua’s remarkable achievements in the world of boxing continue to inspire millions, including the people of Ogun State. His dedication, discipline, and excellence embody the values we uphold as a state.
“As a gesture of our collective pride and recognition of his contributions to sports, we were delighted to present him with a letter appointing him as a Sports Ambassador for Ogun State.
“I want to openly request that, besides the fact that today we are going to officially confirm you as our sports ambassador, we want to request that you come back to light up the Gateway Sports Festival torch; you will be the one lighting it up.
We are going to construct a brand new Anthony Joshua Indoor Boxing Ring, and that boxing ring will be in a stadium here in Abeokuta to ensure that you come home more frequently. Besides the fact that you are now our official sports ambassador, we have decided that we will give you a brand new house in Sagamu,” he said.
“We want to plead that you also find ways to support us back home. We believe that we should have tournaments planned leading to the sports festival, and you expressed how you would participate and what you could do to mentor.”
“We leave you to work with our Director General of the National Sports Commission and the Commissioner for Sports Development on what we can do to ensure that we have activities leading to the sports festival in your boxing arena.”
Whatever we can do to encourage you to continue to win more laurels for yourself, your family, the state, and Nigeria, be assured that we will be more than happy to do that. We watch your career grow, and we are going to support your career in every way we can,” he said.
Your coming back home will be a source of motivation and inspiration for many young men who are aspiring sportsmen, and we have quite a lot of them in Ogun State.
“I want to congratulate you on what you have achieved in such a short span of time. You’ve made a short story of your life and your career.
This appointment underscores our commitment to celebrating excellence and supporting individuals who bring honour and pride to our state.
“Together, we look forward to Anthony Joshua achieving even greater victories and continuing to be a beacon of inspiration for Ogun State and beyond.”
Joshua responded that he is going to serve as a good ambassador and showcase Ogun State to the World.
Edited by: Oladeji Olabisi
