An eyewitness has described Anthony Joshua’s reaction to the car crash that claimed the lives of two of the boxer’s friends last month.
On 29 December, Joshua was a passenger in an accident in Nigeria, in which two of his friends died: Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, teammates of “AJ”.
Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, was left with minor injuries in the fallout of the crash, which occurred when his SUV hit a truck parked on the side of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Joshua, 36, was released from hospital last week before attending the funerals of Ghami and Ayodele in London on Sunday. They took place two days after the driver of their vehicle, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was charged at Sagamu Magistrates’ Court.
An eyewitness of the crash, Ajala Yusuf, saw Joshua being pulled from the car and told Sky News. “He was shocked at the deadliness of the incident. He was shocked. He couldn’t talk.
“We heard a noise, ‘boom’. We thought it was one of those trucks whose tyre had burst. We then saw a car drive under a truck that was parked on the highway, and we rushed down to see what had happened.”
Since the accident took place, it has been reported that Joshua was initially sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, before Mr Kayode asked him to move into the back seat on the opposite side.
After Mr Kayode was charged, his lawyer told the Daily Mail: “My client has pleaded not guilty and what happened was an accident.
“I haven’t had a full chance to speak with him yet, but I know he is saying the brakes did not work. I also understand that the journey started in Lagos, and that initially Anthony had got into the front seat but the driver asked him to swap seats.
“He did this because Anthony is a big fellow and [Kayode] couldn’t see the wing mirror properly, so he asked him to move and he sat behind the driver. From what I understand, Latif was in front and then changed seats with Anthony.”
Joshua had fought just 10 days before the accident, knocking out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in six rounds.
Following that spectacle in Miami, Joshua was expected to return to the ring in February before a potential, long-awaited clash with fellow British star Tyson Fury later in 2026. Those plans are now up in the air.
On Sunday, Joshua made his first public statement on the accident in Nigeria, posting two images on Instagram with the caption: “My Brothers Keeper.” In the photos, Joshua can be seen sitting alongside his mother and three other women, with one holding a photograph of Ghami.
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