Anthony Joshua’s Ring Future Threatened By Crash Fallout

Anthony Joshua’s boxing future has been thrown into serious doubt following a devastating car crash in Nigeria that left two of his closest friends dead and raised fresh concerns about his physical and mental readiness to return to the ring. 

While officials initially described the injuries as minor, emerging details, graphic footage, and internal concerns have cast uncertainty over Joshua’s recovery timeline and the fate of his proposed £100m ($135m) mega-fight with Tyson Fury.

Joshua was a passenger in a black Lexus SUV that crashed into a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun, Nigeria, on December 29. 

The collision resulted in the deaths of two long-term members of his team, Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele, while two other passengers escaped unhurt. 

The crash occurred around midday local time, just 10 days after Joshua’s victory over Jake Paul in Miami.

Local police initially said Joshua sustained only “minor” injuries, but footage from the scene showed the former heavyweight champion grimacing in pain as he was assisted from the wreckage. 

Images later released by Nigerian officials revealed the Lexus was destroyed, with its doors ripped off and the roof crushed, while another vehicle in Joshua’s convoy remained undamaged nearby.

Despite official reassurances, sources close to Anthony Joshua have expressed fears that his injuries could be more serious than authorities have acknowledged. 

Concerns have been raised about possible rib and knee damage, especially after footage showed the 36-year-old shirtless, dazed, and surrounded by shattered glass while still inside the wrecked vehicle.

However, as The Blast reported, officials from the Ogun State government confirmed Joshua was conscious and communicating with his family, stating, “Anthony Joshua and another passenger were immediately evacuated to a specialised medical facility in Lagos.” 

They added that doctors had confirmed he was stable and required no emergency intervention, but emphasized that a whole medical team would continue monitoring him closely.

Joshua remains hospitalized for observation, with Daily Mail Sport revealing that a member of his immediate family has been at his bedside as medical evaluations continue.

A representative for Joshua released a statement confirming the deaths of Ghami and Ayodele, describing them as “close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team.” 

The spokesman added, “It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos, Nigeria, earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Kevin ‘Lateef’ Ayodele.”

The statement continued, “We respectfully ask that space and privacy be given to the families at this time while they process this truly shocking and devastating news.” 

Joshua himself had posted a video on Instagram just hours before the crash, showing him playing table tennis with Ayodele, captioned, “@healthy_mindset dishing out table tennis smoke.”

Relatives later shared that they were in “shock” upon hearing the news, with one family member saying, “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away - I pray for the departed to rest in peace.”

Anthony Joshua had been in Nigeria visiting family during a one-week holiday and was expected to resume training for a late March fight, likely in Saudi Arabia against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven. 

That bout was seen as a warm-up ahead of a proposed £100m ($135m) showdown with Fury later in the year.

However, insiders now believe it is “highly doubtful” the boxer will be physically ready for a quick return. 

Beyond the physical injuries, there are concerns about psychological trauma after surviving a crash that killed two passengers seated near him. 

Images showed the non-driver side of the vehicle absorbed the impact, with Joshua seated in the rear behind the driver.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said, “We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images.”

Preliminary findings suggest the Lexus SUV was traveling above the speed limit while overtaking before losing control and slamming into the parked truck. 

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps added that “the primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations.” 

According to reports, the speed limit around the area of the crash was 50mph. 

Meanwhile, Jake Paul has since reacted to the news of the tragedy. 

Taking to X, he posted, “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ, and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Paul doubled down with another post that read, “RIP Sina Ghami and Kevin ‘Latif/Latz’ Ayodele. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends and AJ.”