Hardly few was aware of the ‘unbelievable’ offer the two-time heavyweight champion made in 2019, despite his well-known warmth outside of the ring.
In a touching gesture, Anthony Joshua paid for the funeral of Kevin Mitchell’s brother, a former fighter.
Mitchell won the Commonwealth title from 2006 to 2008 and the British super featherweight title in 2008. The 39-year-old also had two attempts to win the world lightweight title during his career before retiring in 2015 following consecutive losses to Ismael Barroso and Jorge Linares.
A heartwarming anecdote of Joshua’s relationship with his younger sibling was also shared by Mitchell. At the age of 31, the 39-year-old’s sibling Vinny, who was also a professional boxer, lost his life in a motorcycle accident in 2019. Kevin also talked about how, following the accident, heavyweight Joshua personally contacted him and his mother, offering to cover the cost of the burial and expressing his sorrow.
“The family was under a lot of stress trying to figure out how they would pay for the funeral and manage their mortgage payments, so it was a tough time,” Mitchell recounted. Joshua made the decision to lend a hand at that point.
Speaking to Josh Jamesy, Mitchell said: “He had so much pressure on him Josh, and let me tell you something – I’ve not said this to anyone before on podcast – but he paid for my brother’s funeral.” When he was asked whether the touching gesture was made because he knew him or his brother, Kevin continued: “Both. He knew my brother, he knew me, he knew my mum. He rung me up when we was in the chapel of rest in Dagenham East and he said ‘Kev, how are you? You’re a strong b****** aren’t you.’ I said, ‘You have to be Josh it’s life mate’. Then he was like, ‘Is your mum there? Can I speak to her please?’
“As we’re sitting around the table grieving – bad emotions and we’re all about to kick off – and we’re all worried about burying my brother, how will we get money, we got mortgages to pay, no one’s working but the bills have still got to be paid so we’re all aggressive and hot tempered, your emotions are like that.
“I was so stressed, I was under a lot of pressure and he went, ‘Alice, do you mind if I get it?’ She said, ‘What do you mean?’ My mum didn’t quite hear him. And he went, ‘I’m going to pay for his funeral Alice if you don’t mind and he paid for it.” While Mitchell has retired from the sport, Joshua continues to fight at the top level. ‘AJ’ looks set to face British rival Daniel Dubois in a mouthwatering sequel having lost to the ‘Dynamite’ via knockout in the fifth round last month.
