The Rise of Anthony Joshua to stardom

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The rise of

AnthonyJoshua

to stardom

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ANTHONY Oluwаfеmі Olаѕеnі Jоѕhuа hаѕ the wоrld at hіѕ fееt after bеаtіng Wlаdіmіr Klіtѕсhkо, but іt wаѕ not a smooth road tо stardom. Joshua, thе IBF and WBA heavyweight champion, was born іn Wаtfоrd tо hіѕ Nigerian mum Yeta and Nіgеrіаn-Irіѕh fаthеr Rоbеrt. Bеfоrе dіѕсоvеrіng hіѕ tаlеnt for аnd admirable dеdісаtіоn tо bоxіng, Jоѕhuа hаd a numbеr of bruѕhеѕ wіth thе lаw.

Agеd 16, while рlауіng football fоr hіѕ school Lаnglеу Sесоndаrу, hе grаbbеd an opponent bу thе nесk аnd thrеw him оvеr his ѕhоuldеr, lеаdіng tо a fоrmаl соmрlаіnt, a charge of асtuаl bоdіlу harm and then a warning. Hе was also involved in street fіghtѕ, whісh lеd tо him bеіng оn remand іn Rеаdіng, and іn 2011 while a рrоmіѕіng аmаtеur hе wаѕ arrested wіth саnnаbіѕ in hіѕ саr. At the аgе of 17 Jоѕhuа wаѕ introduced to bоxіng bу hіѕ соuѕіn Ben Ilеуеmі, аt the Fіnсhlеу Amаtеur Bоxіng Club іn north Lоndоn. Hе went tо раrtісіраtе in a fi tness сlаѕѕ but luісklу discovered hоw muсh hе еnjоуеd tо bоx.

His ѕwіft progress, combined wіth the nаturаl athleticism thаt mеаnѕ he саn ѕрrіnt 100m іn just over 10 seconds, еnѕurеd thаt within thе nеxt thrее years hе was brоught іntо thе Grеаt Brіtаіn squad аt thе Englіѕh Institute of Sроrt іn Sheffi eld аnd considered a рrоѕресt for Lоndоn 2012. Joshua’s аrrеѕt fоr роѕѕеѕѕіng cannabis and іntеnt to ѕuррlу thе drug then fоllоwеd whеn he wаѕ саught speeding. After he рlеаdеd guіltу, he wаѕ ѕuѕреndеd frоm the Britain bоxіng squad аnd sentenced tо bоth a 12-mоnth соmmunіtу оrdеr аnd 100 hours’ unраіd wоrk. Thе wаrnіng hееdеd, he focused on hіѕ раѕѕіоn for bоxіng, winning a ѕіlvеr mеdаl аt the wоrld сhаmріоnѕhірѕ before аnnоunсіng hіmѕеlf to thе wider public аѕ the ѕuреr-hеаvуwеіght Olуmріс champion аt Lоndоn 2012.

Aftеr Mаtсhrооm bеаt ѕіgnіfісаnt соmреtіtіоn tо ѕесurе hіѕ signature, Jоѕhuа made hіѕ рrоfеѕѕіоnаl dеbut аt London’s O2 Arеnа іn October 2013, stopping Itаlу’ѕ Emаnuеlе Lео іnѕіdе a rоund. The Cоmmоnwеаlth hеаvуwеіght tіtlе fоllоwеd аgаіnѕt Gary Cornish іn Sерtеmbеr 2015, the Brіtіѕh аgаіnѕt Dillian Whуtе three mоnthѕ lаtеr, аnd thеn thе IBF hеаvуwеіght title against America’s Chаrlеѕ Mаrtіn іn April 2016. Saturday’s knосkоut defeat of Klitschko, іn frоnt of 90,000 аt Wembley, соuld уеt prove the 27-уеаr-оld’ѕ dеfіnіng fіght аnd hаѕ еаrnеd hіm a reported GBP 15 mіllіоn.

It perhaps mаkеѕ іt аll thе more rеmаrkаblе thаt dеѕріtе buying a property fоr the mother оf hіѕ 18-month-old ѕоn Joseph, hе still lіvеѕ in hіѕ mоthеr’ѕ соunсіl fl аt in Golders Grееn, North London.

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The Invisible

Enemy

Just when I thought our good old Sierra Leone could not sink any lower than the demeaning decade-long civil war that stripped us of able-bodied compatriots, along comes Ebola to show that there are depths lower than that low.

No thanks to the dreaded virus, our streets and mortuaries were strewn with litany of bodies. One question as we grapple with the devastating virus is: is it just a tragedy, a misfortune or is it something much bigger? Is there an invisible enemy lurking behind this disaster now and as a warning for the future? Are there invisible enemies that we have allowed to fester which are now haunting us or still lurking in the shadows?

These questions have become very pertinent not only because of the conspiracy theories that have been making the rounds of the Social Media through the addictive Facebook, whatsApp , etc...but also because contrary to the hopes of some, the calamity is turning out to be something that cannot just be wished away or consigned to the back burner of our history like the last cholera epidemic or even the civil war. Similarly, the destructive nature of the virus has turned it into a runaway train that is proving difficult to stop as we agonise and flail around in search of a formidable weapon against its speed and ferocity.

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The twitching of structures has turned the country into a patient struggling to climb from a deathbed in the belief that its resurrection can be erroneously presented as a miracle healing. It has exposed our default health system and unmasked the deficiencies that we have for long hidden behind the paint of transformation.

With public trust and optimism in short supply one thing is clear – the biggest challenge is not even the eradication of the unwanted guest as much as what happens post-Ebola. How do we deal with the inherent societal exposés that Ebola has laid bare? How do we tackle the invisible enemy – the unseen hand.

Having the task of management of the EBOLA crisis entrusted to the Minister of Defence was a wise move by H.E. The President . We all know that we need a Military fist to get our people to be disciplined and abide by the laws to control the situation in the safest way possible and save unnecessary loss of more lives . Ludicrously enough, the proponents of this thinking have cleverly left out the international synergy in combating the outbreak and the huge financial outlay in assistance. What an invisible rationale. In the midst of such a devastating tragedy, politics is all that matters to some of those in authority. This is an unseen enemy that our society needs to eradicate.

The most tenacious optimists might begin to give up under the pressure of the calamities dotting the landscape. However, historic moments like this, just like the civil war that nearly consumed our nation, have one peculiarity: they are thresholds for the breaking of links that can no longer cope with the pressures of our collective life.

Obviously there are lessons to be learnt in every challenge, no matter how daunting the immediate picture of such a scenario; which is why there is a need to pause and really examine our national societal ethos and governance.

Prior to the latest disaster, the prevailing view of Sierra Leone, even over a decade after our civil war, is that of a basket case in need of salvation, a land riven by hunger, poverty, victims of war and disease.

This corrosive image, so destructive to trade and tourism, has been fostered by a lethal combination of our helplessness, as portrayed by the continued dependence on foreign assistance as well as internationally acclaimed pandemic corruption.

It is why despite the strenuous efforts of the government in creating one of the very best enabling environment

for investments, things have not been moving as fast and comprehensively as they should. How come assistance were in a ta il spin from those eager to build new

structures for us but who turned a blind eye to the great issue of our tragedy and existing dilemma until they were literally put to shame? Anyway, the reality with us now is the Ebola epidemic and unlike some other issues, it is no longer the fear that dare not speak its name amidst the hordes of problems facing our poor Sierra Leone.

From indications it is not clear whether this crisis has reached its critical mass but as we watch and pray about how this destructive train will hit the buffers and what the bigger situation seems to be; there is a need for introspection. There are compelling reasons to identify and imbibe the inherent lessons in the emergence of the disease, our reaction and handling of its development as well as the beneficial effects of overcoming the challenge. The most ingenious solutions to a crisis start at the lowest ebb. Just before these solutions appear as a dot on the horizon, all adventures are possible as we have encountered in the course of tackling Ebola.

Therefore, as we continue the campaign to get rid of the Ebola virus, the biggest challenge today is not the eradication of the virus as much as it is the way we are going to behave in the Post EBOLA time which if done wisely will ensure a non- return of this diabolical Virus and other deadly ones.

For one, how did our acclaimed health system fail so badly? What could we have done and said differently? Where was leadership and decisiveness when it was most needed to guide the culturally cynical populace

through a rather strange situation? With some focus on what we are going through now in the Mano. River zone we find common breeding ground for not only EBOLA but any other hygiene related virus such as typhoid, cholera, malaria, Lassa fever. Etc..... The lack of hygiene coupled with the indiscipline of our people makes us a prey for a lot of diseases. The origin of Ebola in the suburbs of our provinces, suggests the disease has a lot to do with poor sanitary condition and low standard of living. So, if the standard of living in any place is poor, we’re no more talking only of Ebola, but also of other infectious diseases. Because Ebola is the one that is causing most of the havoc now, that’s why there is the big emphasis on it.

A significant share of ill health in slums stems from poor access to sanitation and clean drinking water. Flooded areas and ditches, latrines and septic tanks are key reservoirs that perpetuate infectious disease outbreaks. The high population density found in these areas and consequent overcrowding often trigger epidemic-prone infections such as we are witnessing.

Rotary International with the Rotary Club of Freetown in partnership with The Rotary Club of Fishers Indiana USA for the past 5 years have succeeded in giving over 100 Villages mostly in remote areas nation-wide the Privilege of access to clean water through their WATER IS LIFE PROJECT becoming the only Non-Profit Humanitarian Organisation to participate in the Health and Sanitisation Campaign.

The rate of urbanisation makes it very challenging to manage. A recent paper in the New England Journal of Medicine argued that urbanisation is a “health hazard

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for certain vulnerable populations, and this demographic shift threatens to create a humanitarian disaster”.

Anyway, annual budgetary allocations to health are still very paltry and this has seen developments in this area worsening. For example, latest data from the Global Health observatory quotes our total expenditure on health per capita at $205 and the total expenditure on health as percentage of GDP at 15.1percent.

While official statistics, highlighting great strides sound convincing, the general consensus is that much has not been done in the health sector. Various reports by reputable international organisations, can give credence to it.

Access to food, safe drinking water and health institutions is limited even in urban areas not to talk of their virtual non-existence in the rural parts of the country. Can malnourished children with poor mental and physical development lead Sierra Leone’s future?

This country enjoyed energy and water up to the seventies. I remember we had 24/7 supply of power and water. Bunbuna which was supposed to rescue us from a damned blackout for four decades was the biggest failure of any contract in the history of this country. Of my forty years since I first came to Sierra Leone I can comfortably say that only the first 8 years were the glorious ones. This country was indeed the Athens of West Africa . Parents could afford first class education for their Children in our Schools and Universities . Health care was at its best . E . Our children didn’t have to study on the light of candle or risk the dangers of Kerosene lamps . Hygiene was the Order of the day . Even Nigerians and Ghanaians used

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