Jubilation as Anthony Joshua visits Sagamu

There was jubilation in Sagamu on Wednesday when the World heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, arrived at the palace of Akarigbo of Remo.

The PUNCH gathered that Joshua met the Akarigbo and other chiefs in Sagamu around 1.15pm.

Head, Anthony Joshua Supporters Club, Sagamu, popularly known as Mr Naira, confirmed Joshua’s presence to The PUNCH.

He commended the boxer for yielding to their calls to visit Sagamu.

Thousands of youths had in December 2019 gathered to watch Joshua’s rematch against Andy Ruiz at his family house.

Joshua is a British boxer of Nigerian descent. He was born in Watford to a Nigerian mother, Yeta Odusanya, and a British father of Nigerian and Irish descent, Robert, in 1989.

He made his debut alongside his cousin, Ben Illeyemi, who is also a professional boxer, in 2013.

According to reports, Joshua spent some of his early years in Nigeria and was a boarding school student at Mayflower School in Ikenne.

He was said to return to the United Kingdom when he was 12 years old.

His father’s family name is popular in Ijokun, Sagamu area of Ogun State.

The family owns a large expanse of land along Akarigbo Road, Cinema Street, part of which houses two banks, hospital, filling station and a large church, St. John Anglican, among others.

As a landmark, a hall was built in memory of Joshua’s great grandfather, Omo-Oba Daniel Adebambo Joshua.

His relatives say Joshua hails from a royal family in Ogun State.

As a way to show his connection to Nigeria, the boxing champion visited Makoko in Lagos State recently.

On January 18, Joshua presented his World heavyweight boxing belts to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in the United Kingdom