Anthony Joshua wants to remember his friends forever.
So the two-time heavyweight champion inked their names permanently on his body.
While taking a trip to Nigeria to explore his roots further at the end of December, Joshua was in a car crash where his friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele were killed.
Ghami was Joshua’s recovery therapist, while Ayodele was his personal trainer.
Their car’s tire burst on a highway and hit a stationary truck after the driver lost control, Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN.
Joshua was also hospitalized for a few days due to a minor injury.
To honor the two, Joshua went to Fulham Tattoo in London, where he resides, and got the names “Latz” and “Sina” tattooed on his upper right arm.
The fresh ink sits just under the outline of Africa on his shoulder.
Fulham Tattoo announced the partnership in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“Huge thank you to two-time heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua for unexpectedly and unannounced walking through the door a few weeks ago for his first visit with us at Fulham Tattoo London… what a walk in!” the caption read.
Following the accident, it took Joshua some time to speak publicly.
But after returning to the United Kingdom in January, Joshua thanked fans for their constant support through his mental battle.
“I could reach out to all of you far and wide, worldwide who are showing so much love, care, support through that tragic, traumatic time where we lost Latz and Sina in Nigeria,” Joshua said in a video on Instagram.
“I know what my duty is. They were my brothers, my friends, first and foremost,” Joshua continued. “Then we became business partners, we became hustlers, we became generals, we became everything.”
Joshua’s boxing career is temporarily on hold.
After knocking out Jake Paul in December, he was expected to fight Tyson Fury in March.
But after his car crash in Nigeria, it’s unclear if that deal is still on.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he expects Joshua to return to training but isn’t sure if he’ll be ready to duel Fury.
“Obviously, that is not happening now, and I don’t know if it will ever happen right now,” Hearn said.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
