- Joshua was on duty in the capital to help cheer on the runners from the side of the field.
- He could be seen exchanging words with a runner who had been struggling
- The Briton is still waiting to know who his next opponent in the ring will be.
Anthony Joshua was seen handing out Lucozade and cheering on runners at the London Marathon on Sunday.
With more than 50,000 runners taking part in the historic race through the English capital, some naturally found it more difficult than others and perhaps needed a little encouragement.
From Sir Jim Ratcliffe running the 26.2 mile course and arriving at Wembley for Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry to filming Eastenders on the course, there were a number of famous faces in attendance – but not all of them took part in the race.
Heavyweight boxer Joshua, who is still riding a wave after his impressive knockout victory over Francis Ngannou in March, was on the field on sponsorship duties as he handed out drinks and chatted to runners.
The Brit could be seen wearing a dark blue Lucozade hoodie, with a video shared by the drinks brand showing him giving some advice to a runner on how to get to the end of the race.
Anthony Joshua was seen handing out Lucozade and cheering on the London Marathon runners on Sunday.
The British boxer shared a touching moment with a runner who had been struggling
“Listen, this is where we have to dig deeper,” AJ can be seen telling a runner while hugging the competitor, who is dressed all in orange.
“I’m mentally devastated,” the runner responds.
Joshua continues: ‘Yes, but listen. If you know you are mentally exploited, that’s okay. It’s all in the mind, right? So if you feel like you’ve exploded, rebuild now.
‘Make a brief summary, walk for two minutes and finish the race, brother. Control your thoughts, control your mind. Come on.’
The runner, who can be seen gratefully receiving a cup of Lucozade from Joshua, then punches the heavyweight and continues running.
Several other competitors also stopped to receive some words of wisdom from the two-time world champion.
Joshua is still waiting to find out who his next opponent will be in the ring after beating Francis Ngannou (right) in March.
Joshua continues to wait to find out his next opponent in the boxing ring, and is expected to face the winner of Tyson Fury’s unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk.
The two heavyweights will meet in Saudi Arabia on May 18, and Fury is set to make “some adjustments” for the fight as he looks to bounce back from a narrow victory over Ngannou.
The Brit bested the former MMA star in October, prompting fans to call for him to be careful when facing Usyk, ahead of a potential forever clash against Joshua.