Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Thursday broke weeks of public silence, speaking on camera for the first time since a car crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends and members of his backroom team.
In an emotional video posted on his YouTube channel, Joshua at one point fought back tears as he reflected on the deaths of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, whom he described as his “brothers”.
The British boxer was a passenger in an SUV involved in a collision with a stationary truck on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway on December 29. He sustained minor injuries, while Ayodele and Ghami died at the scene.
“I know what I’ve got to do,” Joshua said, speaking directly to the camera in the video shared on Thursday evening. “I’m going to do what is right by them, do what is right by their families. It’s about what is important.”
He said he understood what the pair had wanted to achieve for their families and vowed to help ensure those goals were realised.
Ayodele was Joshua’s personal trainer, while Ghami served as his strength and conditioning coach. Both had worked closely with the former two-time unified heavyweight champion for years.
Joshua offered few details about his immediate boxing future but stressed that “the mission must go on”.
“It isn’t about legacy,” he said. “It’s about doing what is right, and I know I’m going to do right by them.”
The fatal accident occurred just weeks after Joshua stopped YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami, keeping alive hopes of a long-anticipated showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury.
Fury has since confirmed his return to the ring and is scheduled to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11, although the timing and fate of a potential all-British heavyweight clash with Joshua remain uncertain. Speculation has also emerged that Joshua could consider retirement in the wake of the tragedy.
However, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said the 36-year-old would be given all the time he needs to grieve and recover.
Earlier this month, Joshua posted footage of himself back in the gym, describing pad work with a trainer as “mental strength therapy”.
In Thursday’s video, he spoke candidly about loss and mortality.
“One day my time will come, and I’m not scared at all,” Joshua said. “It’s actually comforting knowing that I’ve got two brothers on the other side.
“I’ve lost people before, but I don’t think I’ve lost people like this, my left and my right.”
