By Charles Maduka
Former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, has spoken emotionally about the tragic loss of two of his close friends who died in a fatal car accident, during a conversation with UFC star, Kamaru Usman. The discussion was shared in a YouTube video posted by Usman on Wednesday and took place while Joshua was recovering from injuries sustained in the crash, ahead of a mixed martial arts event held in Lagos on December 30.
Joshua survived a road accident on December 29 along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which claimed the lives of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. The boxer was reportedly pulled from the wreckage of the vehicle and rushed to Duchess International Hospital, where he received medical attention for his injuries. He was later discharged and has since returned to the United Kingdom.
Footage from the video showed Joshua lying in a treatment room with bandages wrapped around his head and torso as he spoke with Usman about the incident. He admitted that the reality of losing his friends had not fully sunk in, describing the experience as something he was still struggling to process emotionally.
During the conversation, Usman asked Joshua whether Ghami and Ayodele had been seated in the front of the black Lexus vehicle at the time of the crash. Responding, Joshua said one of them was seated in the front while the other was behind him on the right side, adding that both of them died in the accident. He noted that the shock of the tragedy had not yet fully hit him.
Reacting to Joshua’s account, Usman expressed sympathy and told the boxer that the incident had deeply affected people around the world. Joshua, in response, reflected on the fragility of life, while Usman added that such serious moments often reveal how many people truly care, despite the criticism public figures regularly face. PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Joshua broke his silence after the incident by posting a photograph of himself with the families of the deceased on social media, captioned, “My Brother’s Keeper,” showing his support for them during their time of grief.
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