Anthony Joshua will make his return to the ring on Saturday for the first time since being in a tragic car crash which killed two of his closest friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, in Nigeria on December 29.

The former two-time unified world heavyweight boxing champion (29-4-0, 26 KOs) faces Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga (20-1-0, 20 KOs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in an event titled ‘The Comeback’.

It comes almost seven months after the 36-year-old was in a Lexus SUV when it collided with a stationary vehicle on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, south-west Nigeria. His personal trainer, Ayodele, and strength coach, Ghami — who had both known Joshua since they met in north London 20 years ago and been constants by his side throughout his career — died. Joshua was discharged from hospital after two days.

Before a press conference last month to announce the Prenga fight, Joshua spoke about the loss of his two friends on the 5 Live Boxing podcast, saying: “You never overcome it, but you gain perspective in life… As a soldier, I stand strong for their parents first and foremost. This isn’t about me. I feel it’s important to put their parents first at the minute. I’ll have my time to grieve. But right now, my heart and mind tell me their parents are my main priority.”

At the same event, Joshua’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn told The Athletic it was hard to really know how the fighter was processing the events of last December: “He’s a very proud man,” Hearn said. “He’s not the kind of person that’s going to let you really know how he’s thinking. He’s just going to say, ‘I’m strong’.

“The reality is, how do you deal with it? But I know when he’s training, he’s in the best place he can be. Maybe he’s papering over cracks, but it’s better than the cracks opening up wide.”

Clinical and counselling psychologist Dr Sorcha Mathews tells The Athletic it is important to understand that “experiencing a traumatic event does not necessarily lead to trauma. Everyone will face difficult experiences throughout life, but whether an event becomes traumatic depends on its longer-term impact on the individual.”

Mathews, whose main area of work in the National Health Service (NHS) is within a specialist complex trauma and dissociation service, explains that people can experience the same event very differently, depending on a combination of biological factors and their life experiences, particularly what they learned and experienced while growing up.

While we might describe certain events as potentially traumatic, context is crucial. “It’s an individual’s interpretation, history and the lasting impact of that experience that determine whether it becomes trauma,” says Mathews.

While people respond in different ways to traumatic experiences, there are some common reactions in the early days and weeks. These include feeling overwhelmed, frightened, anxious, disoriented and confused, says Dr Georgina Clifford, a specialist clinical and research psychologist and director of London Trauma Specialists.

There is no “right” way to respond to a traumatic event.

Anthony Joshua at the Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov fight in April (Richard Pelham/Getty Images for Netflix)

Some people find their experiences so difficult to deal with that they blank them out entirely, says psychotherapist Gary Bloom: “It’s a way of protecting the individual because whatever they were going through was so traumatic that they can’t actually deal with it.

“The brain has a way of blanking that out to protect itself because the actual trauma was so destructive.”

Others might develop a greater appreciation of life, stronger relationships, a renewed sense of purpose, or increased confidence in their ability to cope with future challenges.

This is known as post-traumatic growth. “It doesn’t mean the traumatic event was beneficial or imply that the person is unaffected by what happened,” explains Mathews. “It describes the positive psychological changes that can sometimes emerge through the process of adapting to significant adversity.”

Others might not experience this, which should never be seen as a sign of weakness or lack of resilience.

“Recovery is highly individual and influenced by many factors, including previous life experiences, biological vulnerability, social support, the nature of the trauma, and access to appropriate care,” says Mathews.

“The aim is not to judge how someone responds to trauma, but to understand their unique experience and support them in moving forward in the way that is right for them.”

The route to recovery looks different for everyone, but in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, it’s generally not recommended that everyone automatically receives formal psychological intervention.

Instead, says Mathews, the most helpful approach for many people is to “ensure they are physically and emotionally safe, have access to practical and social support, and are given space to experience and express their natural reactions, whether that is grief, fear, anger, sadness or anxiety. These responses are often part of the mind and body’s normal process of adapting to an abnormal experience.”

Over the following weeks, many people start to recover naturally. Things that can help during that time include maintaining structure and routine in daily life, reconnecting with meaningful daily activities, looking after physical health, and leaning on trusted friends and family.

Mathews says that if someone approaches her within the first three to six months of a traumatic event, she often begins with psychoeducation: “Helping someone understand what trauma is, why they are experiencing particular symptoms, and reassuring them that many of these responses are common can, in itself, be profoundly therapeutic.”

If, as time goes on, someone feels unable to move forward, or is experiencing distressing symptoms that are interfering with daily functioning, then what she calls a “more structured psychological intervention” might be needed.

“Not everyone who experiences trauma will require therapy,” though, says Mathews, “and equally, therapy is not the only route to recovery.”

Some people recover through supportive relationships, community, cultural or spiritual practices, meaningful activity, or simply through the passing of time within a safe environment. Importantly, adds Mathews, “there is no hierarchy between these approaches”.

Anthony Joshua with promoter Eddie Hearn at the Derek Chisora-Deontay Wilder fight in April (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

When trauma and grief occur together, the grieving process can become more complicated, because trauma can impede our ability to grieve.

Accessing and processing the sadness of loss can be difficult if the brain and body remain in survival mode. So grieving often can’t take place fully until the nervous system begins to settle. “This doesn’t mean grief and trauma occur separately or in a neat sequence,” says Mathews. “People often move back and forth between moments of fear, numbness, sadness, anger and acceptance.”

Deferring grief is a very personal process. “In some circumstances, temporarily putting grief to one side can be an adaptive response, particularly when someone needs to focus on immediate responsibilities, maintain stability, or get through a particularly demanding period,” says Mathews.

If someone remains disconnected from their grief for a prolonged period though, it can be helpful to explore ways of gradually reconnecting with those emotions. “This is not about forcing someone to grieve before they are ready,” says Mathews, “but gently increasing their capacity to tolerate and process what they have experienced.”

Ultimately, there is no ‘correct’ timeline for grief. So, the goal is not to judge whether someone is grieving ‘correctly’, explains Mathews, but to understand “whether their way of coping is supporting their long-term wellbeing and allowing space for healing when they are ready.”

Experiencing a traumatic event and grief while in the public eye adds another element to the process of recovery, which is underpinned by the need for a sense of psychological safety.

“When someone is in the public eye, the experience of being observed, discussed or judged by others can influence their ability to feel safe enough to process what has happened,” says Mathews.

This depends, though, on how the individual perceives and experiences public awareness and attention, she adds. Some might feel it provides a sense of collective support, connection and shared understanding, which can become a source of strength and help them feel less alone in their experience.

“For others, public attention may create an additional layer of difficulty. They may feel pressure to present themselves in a certain way, worry about being judged for their emotional responses, or feel unable to express vulnerability because they fear criticism or misunderstanding. For people in professional or competitive environments, there may also be concerns that personal information about their trauma or grief could be used against them, creating an additional sense of threat or lack of safety.”

Mathews has a keen interest in the intersection between trauma, the body, and high performance and sees sport as something that can be both a stabilising resource and, at times, a way of postponing emotional processing.

“For some people, sport provides structure, connection, meaning and a pathway forward. For others, it may become a way of staying constantly occupied and avoiding contact with painful emotions. Often, it can be both at the same time.”

Ultimately, the key factors that will determine how someone processes trauma and grief remain the same, whoever they are, says Mathews. And those are: “Whether someone feels safe, supported, understood and able to process their experience in a way that fits their own needs.”

With traditional number nines seemingly becoming a dying breed, clubs are turning to other positions to provide the goal threat.

That makes the midfielder, particularly one with a bit of creativity who can unlock defences, a sought-after player.

England seem to have produced a number of players who fit that bill within a similar time period – although Tottenham have spent £185m on midfield duo Sandro Tonali of Italy and Portugal’s Matheus Fernandes this summer.

With the Premier League’s home grown rule in force – requiring a minimum of eight places in a club’s 25-strong squad are set aside for players produced in England or Wales – it is also expected that clubs pay a premium price for players who have come through Football Association academies.

And with Anderson and Rogers securing their moves, could Scott and Wharton be next?

Bournemouth have already rejected a £64m bid from Chelsea for midfielder Scott as they strive to hold on to the 22-year-old, who enjoyed an impressive season on the south coast, particularly from January onwards.

Scott was selected in his first England squad last November and was then called into Thomas Tuchel’s extended pre-World Cup training camp in Florida but is yet make an appearance at senior international level.

Crystal Palace midfielder Wharton has also long been a coveted player, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City all previously registering interest.

Both aged just 22, the pair highlight the plethora of English talent and potential currently available in that position.

While they may not be the best in the world right now, they are part of a group of players in their early 20s who are nearing their prime and will therefore only move clubs for peak prices.

When footballers ‘do boxing’, it rarely looks great.

It looks, well, like footballers boxing. The punches are wide and thrown from waist high and there’s not a hint of head movement. All of which is fine, considering they’re usually doing it as a bit of fun; a way to break up the training monotony of the week or maintain some fitness while rehabilitating an injury.

When Manchester City midfielder Rayan Cherki does boxing however, he looks… well, like a boxer.

“It’s scary,” joked City manager Pep Guardiola when asked about a video of the 22-year-old Frenchman doing padwork that went viral earlier this month. “He will play every game!”

The brief clip posted on Instagram shows Cherki hitting pads with French boxing coach Omrani Faycal at his gym in Villeurbanne, northeast of Lyon, a few weeks before he joined City from Lyon last summer. During the 30-second clip, he can be seen throwing a series of combinations while using his feet to move in and out of range, with several slips, ducks and rolls thrown in for good measure.

“He’s tasty, isn’t he?” says Curtis Woodhouse, the former England Under-21 midfielder who retired from football to become a professional boxer and won the British light-welterweight title in 2014, after watching the video. “It looks like he’s got very fast hands and a bit of pop in his shots as well. I don’t know how long he’s been boxing, but if I didn’t know that was Rayan Cherki and he played for Man City, I’d think he was a boxer.”

Cherki is far from the only elite footballer to harbour a passion for boxing. At most big fight nights in the UK, you’ll see an array of them sitting at ringside. Some, including Everton’s England No 1 goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, grew up with the sport.

Rooney would train at his uncle’s gym in the Liverpool suburb of Croxteth and once, notoriously, sparred with former United team-mate Phil Bardsley in his kitchen at home — a session that ended with Rooney lying knocked out on the floor. He at least saw the funny side by pretending to collapse after scoring against Tottenham Hotspur in his next match.

Wayne Rooney pretends to be ‘knocked out’ after scoring against Tottenham in 2015 (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking on a podcast with Eddie Hearn, the chairman of promotion giant Matchroom, in 2019, Rooney said that he believes the boxing training he did as a kid is what helped give him the strength to be able to play in the Premier League aged just 16.

“It made me physically ready, and without that I don’t know I would have been able to cope with playing against the likes of Sol Campbell, Martin Keown and these big defenders,” he said. “So that really helped me get in a condition where I was young, but physically I could handle it.”

Others have no such boxing pedigree, but see value in adding the training for it to their schedules.

Early on in the 2024-25 season, Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford uploaded an Instagram video of himself hitting pads and bags interspersed with bunny hops over a high bar (an intense conditioning session favoured by former Boxing News and Ring magazine trainer of the year Joe Gallagher). Former Liverpool and England captain Jordan Henderson has also been seen hitting pads, while ex-Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba has been known to utilise kickboxing in his training.

But is it actually beneficial to these players?

Faycal, who started working with Cherki eight years ago, training him once a week up until the Frenchman left Lyon, is in no doubt. He describes their boxing sessions as a “real lever for improvement, especially in modern football where one-on-one battles and quick decision-making are paramount”.

Woodhouse believes the benefits are mostly related to breaking up the monotony of a training week and giving naturally competitive individuals the opportunity to improve in a different realm, but Faycal says there is far more to it. He reels off a list of crossover benefits, starting with co-ordination and neuromuscular agility.

What does this mean in practice? “Boxing develops very fine coordination between the upper and lower body,” says Faycal, who explains that throwing combinations, dodging punches (even pretend ones from your trainer) and moving with your shots requires “synchronising perception and action.

“For a technically gifted playmaker like Rayan, this improves his changes of direction, his feints, and his ability to beat defenders in tight spaces.”

Core strength is something that Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah is known to dedicate hours of gym work to, focusing on deep rotational stability, abdominal strength, and balance. It’s been key in allowing him to withstand forces from defenders, maintain acceleration and turn quickly while moving at high speed.

Boxing, says Faycal, can produce the same effect, resulting in better ball protection, more resistance to loads and less imbalance during contact.

It can also help improve reaction time and anticipation. Faycal says that during boxing sessions, Cherki learns to read his opponents’ intentions in a fraction of a second by looking at their shoulders, gaze and rhythm. “In football, this refines anticipation,” says Faycal. “It’s about knowing when to accelerate, feint, or pass before the defender even reacts.”

Footwork is one area that could be considered contentious. Faycal believes the work boxers constantly do on being light and reactive on their feet and maintaining balance can translate into being more explosive on the pitch; sharper starts and better stability in one-on-one situations.

Conversely, former super-middleweight world champion and GB Boxing coach Richie Woodhall, who spent time training players at his beloved West Bromwich Albion, believes that while donning the gloves can help make players fitter, there is “no real benefit footwork-wise” as the two sports are “very different in what’s required to perform well”.

Mohamed Salah works out during Liverpool’s 2024 pre-season (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

His view is supported by Professor Alan Ruddock, a performance physiologist and co-founder of Boxing Science, a performance support team that has worked with over 700 athletes, including former world champions Fabio Wardley, Kell Brook and Terri Harper.

“A Premier League footballer needs the ability to accelerate, decelerate, change direction with high force – you’re not going to get that through boxing because the forces are not there,” says Ruddock. “When you’re practicing footwork drills, it’s all a bit too polite; a bit tappy-tappy, more like dancing. It’s the Queensberry part of the Queensberry Rules. A footballer needs to produce high rates of force in a very short space of time. Boxing footwork is not going to do that for you, unfortunately.”

When Woodhouse made the switch to boxing, everyone expected him to have the feet of Vasiliy Lomachenko, the great Ukrainian fighter renowned for his exceptional footwork. Sadly for him, he still had those of a retired footballer. “I never had good feet as a boxer,” he says. “Everyone thought (I’d be) twinkle toes, but it’s a completely different skill set. I was a bit of a plodder.”

There are always exceptions, though.

Boxing world champions Katie Taylor and Lauren Price both started out as footballers, making it to international level for the Republic of Ireland and Wales, respectively). And both have exceptional footwork and balance, attributes which are often attributed to the time they spent on the pitch. Equally, these could be natural traits — ones that helped them to reach the levels they did in football and are now doing the same in the ring — as opposed to ones developed through the beautiful game.

Cardiovascular fitness is also an interesting area.

Much depends on the type of boxing training footballers are doing, and on who is implementing it. Ruddock says that, having tested and trained hundreds of boxers, the level of explosiveness they present is “nowhere near” that of a Premier League footballer.

Katie Taylor (left) went from footballer to boxer (Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)

While boxers have good levels of fitness and can hold a good speed for a long time, Ruddock says they don’t necessarily have the same repeated sprint ability as elite footballers. That’s not to say it isn’t possible to get a good cardiovascular stimulus from padwork. Ruddock cites a 2014 study that showed it is possible to push boxers towards 90 per cent of their VO2 max or 90 per cent of their maximum heart rate using a pad protocol that mimicked amateur boxing.

“So it is possible to get a good cardiovascular stimulus from pads,” says Ruddock, “but you need a very skilled coach and pad man, because it can’t just be one type of shot that they’re throwing or a low number of shots that they’re throwing.

“He’s got to have a high variation. He’s got to know when to push you, when to pull you back, and then progressively add the demand rather than almost burn the boxer out to start with. It has to be high force, repeated activity rather than Floyd Mayweather Junior-style, tappy-tappy choreographed pads.”

The final area Faycal mentions is that of mental strength and stress management. Boxing, he says, demands composure under pressure, focus during exertion and acceptance of direct confrontation. “For a playmaker like Cherki, this can help him remain decisive in tense moments (the end of a match or intense pressure from the opponent),” he adds.

For Ruddock, there is a potential psychological transfer in terms of self-confidence. “I’m a Premier League footballer, and I’m in a battle twice a week,” he says. “What’s a good way of preparing myself for that? Getting on boxing gloves, getting in a boxing gym, and doing some boxing training.”

Cherki spoke about his passion for combat sports on the Men in Blazers podcast, explaining how “it allows me to work on my physique, it allows me to express myself”. But despite his countryman’s love for it, Faycal warns there are caveats when it comes to implementing boxing training into a player’s schedule.

The first of those is with regard to volume. “Too much could hinder the specific freshness required for football,” he says.

The second is the risk of getting hurt, especially the hands, wrists and impact injuries. “This necessitates strict supervision and often training without direct sparring,” says Faycal.

The goal, he explains, is not to turn Cherki into a boxer, but to use boxing to enhance the elite qualities he already has. “When properly integrated, boxing can transform a technically gifted player into an even more complete athlete,” he says, “much like adding a subtle turbocharger to an already highly efficient engine.”

Could there be a post-football boxing career for a player like Cherki? Woodhouse has his doubts.

“I’d tell him,” he laughs, “to continue earning that £150,000 ($202,500) a week from Man City.”