Boxing

Anthony Joshua Breaks Silence After Tragic Car Crash With Emotional 3-Word Message

Anthony Joshua spoke out for the first time after the tragic car crash he was involved in.
Grant Young|
Anthony Joshua during a press conference at the Guildhall, London on September 18, 2024.
Anthony Joshua during a press conference at the Guildhall, London on September 18, 2024. | IMAGO / PA Images

On December 31, news broke that Olympic gold medalist and former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua had been released from the hospital after being treated for the car crash he was in two days earlier, which took the lives of his two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Latz" Ayodele. The car crash took place in Lagos, Nigeria.

The car in which Joshua, Latz, and Sina were riding (driven by Adenyi Mobalaji Kayode, who was arrested on January 2 and faces four criminal charges related to the incident) was allegedly speeding and veered off the road, colliding with a stationary vehicle. Latz and Sina were reportedly killed on impact.

Gbenga Omotoso, who is Lagos' State Commissioner for Information, made an X post on December that addressed Joshua's mental state upon being discharged from the hospital that read, "Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon though heavy hearted and full of emotions over the loss of his two close friends he was deemed clinical fit to recuperate from home".

Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua | Getty Images for Netflix

Anthony Joshua sends heartfelt social media post after car crash

While Joshua's emotional state had been noted, he hadn't actually addressed the incident or sent any messages about what occurred since the crash happened.

This changed on January 4, as he posted two photos to his social media channels, captioned, "My Brothers Keeper ❤️🪖❤️".

The post shows Joshua posing with several people, one of whom is holding a photo of Sina. While it's unclear who these people are, the assumption on social media is that they're family members of Latz and Sina.

The funeral for Latz and Sina took place at the London Central Mosque this morning. Joshua was present at the event, as reported by The Mirror, and hundreds of supporters were outside to show their respects. There was also a wake in the afternoon, to which Joshua was also present.

It's still too early to tell how this tragedy will impact Joshua's future plans in the boxing ring, if he even decides to return at all. Boxing is surely the last thing on his mind right now as he's paying respects to two of his closest friends.

Joshua himself narrowly avoided death in the crash, as he surely would have perished if he had been sitting on the car's right side, which is where Latz and Sina were positioned and where the impact with the stationary vehicle occurred.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.