Remembering when our man went toe to toe with Anthony Joshua

While Anthony Joshua gets set for a heavyweight showdown with the Gypsy King Tyson Fury, New Hope’s very own heavyweight Watford outreach worker David Abraham has been reminiscing about the days he went toe to toe with the big man.

They both trained and boxed at Finchley Amateur Boxing Club. It was 2012 and just before the London Olympics, David was just starting out and Anthony was moving into the England and Great Britain boxing squads.

David explained: “We used to train together, skipping, bag work and sparring.

“I remember he used to laugh a lot and was very relaxed in what was for some a tense environment. He was very encouraging to me and all the other young boxers.

“We were both big blokes, the biggest in the gym. I landed some punches on him and he landed a few on me. I definitely felt them. He’s a very powerful man!”

While Joshua went on to do bigger and better things, David has long since hung up his gloves, even though he boxed seven times as a pro, won all his fights and retired undefeated. He now spends his waking hours wandering the streets of Watford as a New Hope outreach worker doing whatever he can to improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness in the town.

And David’s prediction for the Joshua/Tyson fight night scheduled for Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Friday, December 11? “My prediction is Joshua beats Fury. I think he’s always wanted this fight and he has studied him a lot. He knows enough about him to do a job on him.”