Anthony Joshua, the global boxing sensation from the United Kingdom, ascended from the streets through local boxing gyms, and now wants to give back to the first step that ultimately made him the superstar he is today.
Despite excelling at football and athletics in school, Anthony Joshua decided to pursue boxing a bit late when he was 18 years of age and his first club was Finchley ABC in Barnet, North London, home to Derek Chisora.
Joshua’s success story saw him winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics and then turning professional the next year with Matchroom, the 31-year-old Briton now holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO world titles.
All that being said, Joshua has not forgotten his origins and has decided to team up with banking app Revolut to financially support the local boxing gyms in his country, which have suffered massive blow amidst the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
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Really pleased to make a real difference: Anthony Joshua aims to save 2400 boxing gyms across England and Scotland
While sports across the globe were turning around after sustaining the pandemic, the local boxing gyms in the United Kingdom were not so lucky. Even though the UK Government had announced the Sport Winter Survival Package last year, local gyms and leisure centers did not make the cut.
An estimation done by sports charity ukactive claims that 400 facilities across England and Scotland have been shut down since the onset of the pandemic and a whopping 2400 more may soon meet the same fate. And now, Anthony Joshua comes to the rescue.
Partnering with Revolut, Joshua has launched a new glow in the dark debit card which in turn will raise funds for the local boxing gyms. Each card is priced at £4.99 and on every single order, Revolut will be pledging £1 which will be utilized to save the struggling boxing gyms from shutting down.
“Without my local gym I would not be where I am today,” said Joshua, “across the UK, there are kids and adults alike using these gyms to improve their physical and mental health, and keep themselves off the streets.”
“I am really pleased my Revolut card will make a real difference,” the unified heavyweight champion added. (H/T Sky Sports)
