Boxing

Anthony Joshua Reportedly Makes Decision On Boxing Future After Tragic Car Crash

Anthony Joshua has decided whether he wants to continue his boxing career after the fatal car crash he was in.
Grant Young|
Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua | IMAGO / PPAUK

The biggest boxing story in 2026 so far has been the tragic car accident that Olympic gold medalist and former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was involved in on December 29 in Lagos, Nigeria, which took the lives of his two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele.

The Jeep truck that was driving Joshua, Latz, and Sina (which was driven by Adenyi Mobalaji Kayode, who has been arrested and now faces four criminal charges related to the incident) collided with a stationary vehicle after veering off the road, reportedly because Kayode was driving over the speed limit. Latz and Sina were reportedly killed on impact.

Tributes across the boxing world have been pouring in since this news broke on December 31. A funeral for Latz and Sina was held at the London Central Mosque on January 4, which Joshua was present for.

While he hasn't spoken to the media since the crash, Joshua did post two photos to his social media channels, presumably with members of the victims' families, captioned, "My Brothers Keeper ❤️🪖❤️." One person in the photo is holding a photo of Sina.

Anthony Joshua intends to retire from boxing, according to family member

While Joshua's boxing future was the last thing on many people's minds in the wake of this tragedy, there were still rumblings about whether the heavyweight superstar might decide to hang up the gloves and call it a career. And this is indeed what Joshua has reportedly decided, which his uncle, Adedamola Joshua, told The Punch on January 6.

“The major thing there is that he has retired from boxing. That is one thing that makes us glad because each time he’s fighting in the ring, we are always carried away emotionally,” Adedamola told The PUNCH.

He then added, “Each time he’s knocked down, it is just like the heart is coming out of our chest. All these emotional feelings whenever he’s fighting, it’s too much trauma for us, also. Now that he has said that he’s leaving while the ovation is highest, we are happy.”

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

Nobody can blame Joshua, who knocked Jake Paul out on December 19, for coming to this decision. The first thought about this news is that the highly anticipated fight between Joshua and fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury will no longer take place in 2026, which was already in the works.

While there's always a chance that Joshua might change his mind (or that his uncle is wrong), he has made more than enough money in the sport, has cemented his legacy as an all-time great heavyweight, and has nothing left to prove.

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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.