Anthony Joshua opened up on the harrowing car crash that killed two of his friends.
The two-time heavyweight boxing champ spoke out in an emotional video posted to his YouTube channel, paying tribute to his two “brothers,” personal trainer Latif “Latz” Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami, who died when the Lexus SUV he was traveling in collided with a truck near Lagos, Nigeria on Dec. 29.
“The last time I spoke to you guys was in Miami, we had so many plans to wrap up 2025. We went home to see our families and everything got flipped on its head,” he said to open his six-minute clip. “That was such an unforeseen circumstance that was out of all of our control. And not only did their parents, their uncles, their cousins, their friends and myself, lose two great men, we lost people that we really care about have been major players in all of our lives, major, major players in all of our lives. It’s tough. It’s really tough.
“I’m not gonna sit here and show all of my emotions. I know in today’s day and age, it’s easy to microanalyze people, pass judgment, but I know what I thought, and I know how I feel. They’re my brothers, they’re my friends first and foremost … We became housemates, we were living together.”
Joshua, 36, dropped his head as his voice wavered, fighting back tears at the thought of his childhood friends, who died two weeks after being in his corner for his fight against Jake Paul.
“It’s a shame. It’s a shame,” he said. “You know, I’ve lost people before, but I don’t think I’ve lost people — my left and my right — throughout this journey that I’ve been on. It’s not easy. I didn’t even realize that I’m I’m the big guy but I was walking with giants that kept me protected.”
“One day my time will come, and I’m not scared either at all,” he added. “It’s actually comforting knowing that I’ve got two brothers on the other side.”
He stated a want to help his fallen friends fulfill their plans and what was important to them — though he hesitated to use the word “legacy,” after reflection. He revealed that he plans to support the families of Ayodele and Ghazi.
What has touched him, though, is the outpouring of “love and appreciation” sent to him and his team in the aftermath of the deadly crash.
“I still can’t get my head around my two friends, how like, popular… that’s mad to me,” he said. “We heard you all, we saw the messages, the tweets, the social media, the YouTubes, the prayers, it’s all been acknowledged.”
Joshua returned to training earlier this month, posting a video of a workout session on Jan. 15.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
