British boxer Anthony Yarde urged the public to stay at home after revealing his father has died of the coronavirus.
Yarde, who fought Sergey Kovalev for the Russian’s cruiserweight world title last year, said his father had been “fit with no health issues”.
Like many parts of the world, Britain is under a lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the pandemic.
There have been over 17,000 confirmed cases in Britain and Yarde, 28, called on people to respect the situation and stay at home.
“I’m a very private person and tbh I’m still in shock but maybe this can help people stay at home,” Yarde wrote on Instagram.
“My dad passed away from this virus yesterday and he was fit with no health issues. The more people go out and mingle the longer this isolation will last and the more it will spread.
“I’m not a doctor but I do know if you stay home you are less likely to catch it or pass it on. It’s seriously not worth the risk.”
A statement from Yarde’s promoter Frank Warren said: “Frank Warren and everyone at Queensberry Promotions would like to express sincere condolences to Anthony Yarde and his family after the untimely passing of his father.
“Coronavirus is an issue affecting all of us, but that doesn’t make the individual casualties any less tragic.
“We hope that his fans listen to Anthony’s heartfelt plea for people to take the government’s advice seriously so we can try and minimise the suffering of others.
