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Boxing

04th May 2017

Anthony Joshua gave Irish boxer the advice he needed to pursue next step of his career

"He's an absolute gentleman"

Ben Kiely

The baddest boxer on the planet appears to be pretty damn sound.

He may have a belt that signifies he’s the greatest in the world at punching the heads off lads who have dedicated their entire lives to perfecting the art of punching the heads off lads, but all the reports from those who are close to Anthony Joshua paint him in a very positive light.

One such man who has nothing but good things to say about the undisputed heavyweight champion of the word is Jason Quigley.

The Donegal pugilist is 13-0 (10 KOS) as a pro, having medalled representing Ireland at several major tournaments as an amateur. Quigley recently dug deep to overcome a broken hand claim his first championship belt as a pro, but he may not have been in that position had he not sought the advice of Joshua, as he explained in his column for Sky Sports.

“I’m super proud for Anthony, because he was there for me when I wanted to turn professional. I was obviously involved with Sky Sports, I got his number, and was talking to him about whether I should stay amateur for the Olympics, or turn professional.”

“He gave me advice on what he thought I should do, because he went to the Olympics and turned pro afterwards.”

The advice he gave was simple, but often that’s all that is needed. Quigley clearly wanted to try his hand as a pro and Joshua gave him a push in that direction.

“He told me if turning professional will excite me, you go for it. I listened, obviously, I took his advice, and I moved on my career to where I am now. Joshua is a great lad, very supportive, always looking to give you help and positive feedback. He’s an absolute gentleman.”