Just days after the pair exchanged blows in the boxing ring
Anthony Joshua has been injured in a horrific car crash that’s claimed the lives of two people in Nigeria. The former two-time heavyweight champion is said to be lucky to be alive, and just hours after he was seen playing table tennis with his friends, the boxer was being dragged from the wreckage of his Lexus SUV.
While Joshua was quickly taken to the hospital and is said to be ‘fine’, the Ogun State government has confirmed that two ‘male foreign nationals’ have sadly passed away. Dramatic footage shows a topless Joshua being rescued as crowds gathered, with more details about the devastating accident starting to become clearer.
It’s believed that Joshua’s vehicle collided with a stationary truck near a petrol station on the notoriously dangerous Lagos-Ibadan highway. While Joshua is been treated for minor injuries, two friends from his entourage weren’t as lucky.
Joshua’s personal trainer has been named as one of the victims (Instagram / @healthy_mindset)
Well wishes and condolences have flooded in, with Jake Paul also offering support to his former rival. Joshua and Paul recently duked it out in the ring for Netflix, picking up millions of dollars as “Quadzilla” took on “The Problem Child”.
Although Paul has an impressive boxing record that’s only seen him being beaten by Tommy Fury in February 2023, he was no match for Joshua. Having taken a hiatus since he was bested by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, Joshua came back strong and knocked Paul down twice in the fifth round. With the YouTube megastar
There’s no bad blood between the pair, with Joshua even ‘apologizing’ to Paul’s mother in the aftermath.
Now, Paul has paid an emotional tribute to his fellow boxer.
Sharing his thoughts, Paul took to X and simply wrote: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”
Many congratulated Paul for his humility, as well as reiterating how short life can be and how close to death we can find ourselves at the most unexpected of times.
A spokesperson for Joshua confirmed that the victims of the Nigeria crash were Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, with both being close friends of the boxer and with him ringside during the Paul bout. Latif was considered Joshua’s dedicated personal trainer, while it’s said that Ghami was a sports and exercise rehabilitation coach.
Authorities say Joshua’s SUV was moving “beyond the legally prescribed speed limit” and lost control while “overtaking” before it his the stationary truck.
Joshua is thought to have been sitting behind the driver, while Ghami and Ayodele were on the other side of the vehicle. It’s claimed that both tragically perished when the other half of the SUV collided with the truck.
Following his fight with Paul, Joshua (whose parents are Nigerian) had recently arrived in the country and was expected to stay for a week for some downtime.