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.