Boxing

Jake Paul Shares Emotional Dedication After Anthony Joshua Tragedy

Jake Paul addressed the recent car crash Anthony Joshua was in with a poignant message.
Grant Young|
Jake Paul
Jake Paul | IMAGO / NurPhoto

While Anthony Joshua should still be riding high from his knockout victory over Jake Paul on December 19, that stoppage win is surely the last thing on his mind right now, given the tragedy that he experienced on December 29.

Joshua was involved in a car crash that day that took the lives of his two close friends, who went by Sina and Latz. Sina was Joshua's strength and conditioning coach (and helped him prepare to fight Jake Paul on short notice), and Latz was his personal trainer.

These three were in Lagos, Nigeria, celebrating the win and enjoying the holidays when the Jeep they were driving in struck a stationary car on the side of the road. Latz and Sina, who were both seated on the car's right side, were reportedly killed on impact.

Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua | IMAGO / PA Images

Joshua sustained minor injuries, yet was still transported to a local hospital, where he remained for two days. Upon his release from the hospital, Lagos' State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, made an X post that addressed Joshua's mental state, writing, "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 and his mother were at the funeral home in Lagos this afternoon to pay their final respects to his two departed friends as they were being prepared for repatriation scheduled for later this evening," the post added.

Jake Paul Honors Anthony Joshua’s Deceased Friends in Post-Fight Message

Jake Paul was quick to send Joshua a touching message in the wake of this tragedy, as he made an X post on December 29 that read, "RIP Sina Ghami and Kevin 'Latif / Latz' Ayodele. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends and AJ."

He followed this up on January 2, posting a video that included highlights from the Netflix fight card that crescendoed with him fighting Joshua. The post was captioned, "2 WEEKS LATER…#JakeJoshua 33M viewers tuned on Netflix to watch boxing. The event was #1 in 45 countries. This night was only made possible by the hard work of many, including Team Joshua. This video is dedicated to the memory Sina and Latz. Rest in peace."

Props to Paul for continuing to show respect for Sina and Latz. One can only imagine the emotions that Joshua is having to reckon with right now.

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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.