Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has returned to training 19 days after a car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two close associates.
Joshua, 36, sustained injuries in the accident on December 29 along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which killed his strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami, and his trainer, Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele.
On Friday, the boxer shared a Snapchat video showing himself working on the pads, accompanied by the caption “mental strength therapy,” signalling a cautious return to training nearly three weeks after the tragedy.
The footage, compiled into a short montage, also showed Joshua exercising on a stationary bike and swimming in a pool. In another post, he shared an image displaying elapsed time on a cardio machine, captioned “I am a fighter,” alongside a photo from his iconic 2017 heavyweight title bout with Wladimir Klitschko.
Joshua, who is of Nigerian descent, had been on holiday in Nigeria following his victory over Jake Paul in Miami just 10 days before the fatal collision.
At the time of the crash, the driver, Adeniyi Kayode, 47, was said not to have had a valid driver’s licence. Joshua was hospitalised following the incident, while Kayode was subsequently charged with several offences, including dangerous driving.
During a recent court appearance, Kayode pleaded not guilty, claiming the vehicle’s brakes failed. He was granted bail but remanded at the Sagamu Correctional Centre for documentation.
His lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, said Kayode had recently renewed his driver’s licence and was cleared to drive pending the release of the renewed document.
“My client has pleaded not guilty and what happened was an accident,” Abiodun told the Daily Mail. “I understand he is saying the brakes did not work.”
Abiodun also said the seating arrangement in the vehicle changed during the journey, explaining that Joshua was initially seated in front before being asked to move to the back due to his size obstructing the driver’s view.
“From what I understand, Latif was in front and then changed seats with Anthony,” he added.
