Spread the word Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym where his boxing journey began, reuniting with his first coach, Sean Murphy, at the Finchley Amateur Boxing Club months after surviving a tragic car crash in Nigeria. The 36-year-old British-Nigerian boxer was involved in the accident on December 29, which claimed the lives of his personal trainer Kevin “Latz” Ayodele and long-time therapist Sina Ghami. The crash occurred just days after Joshua’s high-profile victory over Jake Paul in Miami. Joshua has since been undergoing intensive physical therapy to recover from rib injuries sustained in the crash. His recent return to training at Finchley signals a renewed determination to rebuild his fitness and reconnect with the roots of his boxing career. The two-time heavyweight champion shared photos and videos from the gym on Instagram, captioning one of the posts: “Quality time with Sean Murphy.” Joshua first walked into Finchley Amateur Boxing Club at the age of 18 while searching for direction during a difficult period of his life in London. Murphy quickly recognised his potential and helped develop his skills in the amateur ranks, guiding him to national titles. He later went on to win a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics under the guidance of Team GB head coach Rob McCracken. Joshua’s amateur success paved the way for a successful professional career in which he captured multiple heavyweight world titles. However, his professional journey has also involved several coaching changes. Following his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, Joshua trained under high-profile coaches including Robert Garcia, Derrick James and most recently Ben Davison. Davison was in Joshua’s corner during recent bouts against Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul and Daniel Dubois.