Former IBF, WBA and WBO World Heavyweight champion Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua storms Nigeria with his mother Mrs. Yetunde Joshua to pay a visit to his native African roots.
Joshua was yesterday at the National stadium in Surulere on Saturday morning as well as the Makoko in Lagos where he met with kids and Fans who live in the slum.
The former Olympic gold medalist was entreated with a typcal African hero’s welcome.
When quizzed why he opted to fight for United Kingdom instead of Nigeria in Africa, the champ responded.
“My father and mother left Nigeria when they were 25 years old to the United Kingdom and I was born there, so I started fighting at the age of 18 years old.”
Head of the home delegation Alade Mariam took the opportunity to thank Joshua and his mother for the visit.
“With me here are beneficiaries of Slum2School (project), who are very grateful and excited to have you here. We wanted to host you in our STEM and Innovation Laboratory, but we chose to have it here so that you can see the treasures in this community like us, who are talented, educated and ambitious like you. All we need are people who believe in us like you.
“We like every child in the community to get the same opportunity that you had many years back, so that they can be transformed, they can transform this society and Nigeria at large.” She expressed.
Anthony Joshua is due for a rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. later in the year for a chance to win back his belts that he shockingly lost to the Mexican.