Anthony Joshua: Islam plays 'a big role' in my life

Ahead of his fight against Kubrat Pulev, we look back at December 2019 when Anthony Joshua became the first heavyweight champion to reclaim his titles in a Muslim country, Saudi Arabia.

Asked post-fight, Joshua talks about the role Islam and Muslims plays in his life.

“A big role. My uncles went to Makkah, they prayed for me. It plays a big role. If a Muslim man comes to me and wants to praise blessings upon me, and pray for me, I’m going to respect that person. If a Christian man, Buddhist or a Jewish man comes to me, I’m going to appreciate their devotion to their religion.”

He then went on to say that “Islam is a great religion. It’s helped a lot of people.”

Joshua also paid tribute to the Muslims who were praying for him to be victorious in his fight:

“For me victory, of course there were a lot of Muslims who were praying for me. A lot of supporters who are Muslims were praying for me and it all leads into a positive direction and thank God we got the victory.