Anthony Joshua in self-isolation after Prince Charles meeting

World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has placed himself in self-isolation following a meeting with coronavirus victim Prince Charles.

Charles, the eldest son and heir to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, is showing mild symptoms of coronavirus and is self-isolating in Scotland, officials said on Wednesday.

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It remains unclear when Charles caught the illness but on March 9, he spent the day with the Queen, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and stars of sport and entertainment - including Joshua - at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

A spokesman for Joshua told the Daily Mail: "AJ is at home following government guidelines, he is fit and well.

"He wishes everyone affected a speedy recovery and a huge thank you to all the front line key workers."

Joshua is due to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20.

But the coronavirus could delay that bout and push back a hugely anticipated all-British fight with WBC champion Tyson Fury until next year at the earliest.

In a series of Twitter posts on Tuesday, Joshua thanked all those involved in trying to combat the coronavirus by saying: "It's humbling to see people giving their everything right now to keep us safe. Shout to everyone on the front-line.

"We see you, we appreciate you, we thank you and we're in awe of you!"

Promoter’s dire warning for fledgling boxers

Joshua’s quarantine news comes after promoter Eddie Hearn warned the coronavirus pandemic could force many boxers to leave the sport for financial reasons.

Hearn, whose Matchroom Boxing promotes Joshua, told the BBC that those fighters starting out in the sport or at the bottom of the ladder faced tough times.

“If this drags on to September, October, November, December, we’ll have fighters that have not boxed this year,” said Hearn.

“The fighters at the top end are going to be fine but the fighters coming through, small hall fighters, ones starting their careers or those who do not have a sponsorship deal face big concerns.

“They will have to give up the sport of boxing and get a job and that’s heartbreaking for someone trying to live their dreams.”

The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) said on Monday it had extended a ban on all events under its jurisdiction until the end of April.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics, which many amateurs use as a platform before turning professional, have been postponed to 2021.

“Look at the Olympics — these people have grafted for four years to achieve their dream and fight in Tokyo,” commented Hearn.

“What are they going to do? Everything is going to be a complete reshuffle of every sport.”

Joshua, the WBA, WBO and IBF champion, is due to fight Bulgaria’s IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in June but that fight could slip to July or later but everything is still up in the air.

Hearn, who has canceled or rescheduled a number of other fights with no certainty of those happening, said boxing would survive but the same could not be said for all the promoters and businesses.

“If you don’t run a sustainable business, very quickly this is going to unfold on you like a ton of bricks,” he said.

with Reuters