VIDEO: Anthony Joshua talks about egusi soup and pounded yam in Commonwealth speech
World heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, yesterday gave an impressive speech at Westminster Abbey about his heritage to celebrate Commonwealth Day.
The speech which largely dwell on the boxer’s origin, saw Joshua joking about egusi and pounded yam, while addressing his audience including the Queen of England.
He also spoke on the need for more unity among countries that make up the commonwealth.
The speech reads: “My name is Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua and like many of you here, I’m a child of the Commonwealth.
“I was born in Watford and my heritage is Nigerian. I come from the Yoruba people who are the largest and some might say the loudest ethnic group in all of Africa.
“I am proudly Nigerian and I am proudly British. I join a long line, perhaps too long to count, of UK citizens of Commonwealth origin who’ve made enormous contributions to this great, multicultural society of ours.
“In my world, that would include names such as Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie and Ramla Ali.
“Like me, so many children of the Commonwealth have two homes, two identities, two cultures and two ways of viewing the world. Some even have more than two.
“These days we hear so much about division and difference that some might be tempted to see that as a bad thing.
“But on the contrary, it’s a beautiful thing, a thing to be celebrated and cherished – and a great source of peace and stability.
“I feel opportunity should be there for the taking along with hard work, dedication and perseverance regardless of one’s background.
“We need to strive harder collectively in order to create unity. It takes a village to raise a child and in the same vein it takes a whole community to stand together to tackle some of the challenges we are confronted with today.
“In the same way boxing gave me the opportunity and framework to become Olympic champion, Commonwealth champion and now heavyweight champion of the world.
“I ask myself, ‘what does the Commonwealth really mean?’ The second part of that word is key for me – a united, common future could create opportunities for our Commonwealth cousins.
“So, here’s to fish and chips and egusi soup and pounded yam, to the UK and Nigeria and to the children of the Commonwealth.”
Let’s work to make wealth more common 🤝 pic.twitter.com/JWqn9AiXMf
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) March 9, 2020
