The former heavyweight world champion's pals were tragically killed when the boxer's vehicle collided with a stationary truck in Lagos, Nigeria, last December and he explained how the pain of their deaths still "hurts" as he prepares to return to the ring for the first time since the incident.

Joshua - who will fight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday (25.07.26) - told BBC Sport: "It's tough, every time I think about it, it hurts.

"Even talking about it now... pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know.

"If I stop, you let it sink in and I'm not ready for it to sink in yet."

The Prenga bout will be the first time Joshua has fought competitively since his defeat to Daniel Dubois in 2024 (although he did beat YouTuber Jake Paul last year) and he has confessed to feeling a "little bit nervous" about his return to the ring.

The British fighter said: "It's competition at the highest level.

"I want to perform for my team, I want to make them proud and make myself proud.

"It's a balance of nerves but I understand what my job is. [I have] a lot of understanding and clarity on what I have to do."

Joshua is set to face Tyson Fury later this year should he beat Prenga and has teased that he and the Gypsy King - who fights Poland's Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday (24.07.26) - could face off in the ring in Jeddah.

He said: "I'm not overlooking Prenga. This is a big deal for me this fight. God willing, everything works out.

"If it's not Saturday night where we face off, it will be within the next four to six weeks.

"It's a big mark to leave on the sport. If I win on Saturday and I could win later in the year, it's massive.

"The stars are aligned and I have to make sure that I'm on course. It's out there for me to go and do.

"It's going to be challenging but I can be the coward or the hero and I have to decide what I want to be."