Popular Nigerian boxer, Efe Ajagba, has come out to say that Anthony Joshua should not be considered a true Nigerian. This is coming after his dramatic majority draw against Congolese contender Martin Bakole at the ANB Arena in Riyadh this week.
According to him, he doesn’t believe Anthony Joshua is a real Nigerian because he has spent his entire life in the United Kingdom, and he only comes around when he needs Nigeria for social media content.
Efe added that Joshua hasn’t experienced Nigeria like he should, unlike him, who breathes and live his fatherland.
His words, “Oh man. I don’t think so. He’s not a real Nigerian. He might have just been there, and that’s where his parents came from, but for me, I’m the original Nigerian, to be honest. Not Joshua—he hasn’t experienced Nigeria. Almost all of his life has been spent in the UK.
It’s okay, it’s all good—but I’m the original Nigerian. In Africa, Nigeria is always No. 1 when it comes to sport, and I’m the original Nigerian. That’s what it’s all about—I’ve got power, and I’ve got skills.”
WOW.
Anthony Joshua, OBE (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer who is a two-time unified heavyweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles since December 2019 and previously between 2016 and June 2019. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2014 to 2016.
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua was born on 15 October 1989 in Watford, Hertfordshire, the son of Yeta and Robert Joshua. His mother is Nigerian, while his father is of Nigerian and Irish ancestry. Joshua’s Nigerian background can be specifically traced back to the Yoruba people, amongst whom he is of aristocratic rank.
His cousin, Ben Ileyemi, is also a professional boxer. The pair made their professional debuts together in 2013. Joshua spent some of his early years in Nigeria as a boarding school student at Mayflower School in Ikenne.
Following his parents’ divorce when he was 12, he returned to the UK halfway through Year Seven to join Kings Langley Secondary School. Growing up on the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire, he was called “Femi” by his friends and former teachers, due to his middle name, Oluwafemi. He excelled at football and athletics and broke his school’s Year Nine 100 m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.
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