Anthony Joshua car crash updates: Coach, friend killed, Nigerian Prez confirms British boxer is stable
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Anthony Joshua car crash updates Coach, friend killed, Nigerian Prez confirms British boxer is stable Photograph: (Screengrabs/X)
Joshua was a passenger in a vehicle that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway in Ogun state, near Lagos, which killed two of his closest friends and associates.
British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua suffered injuries in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, the boxer's promoter, Matchroom Boxing said in a statement. Joshua was a passenger in a vehicle that collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway in Ogun state, near Lagos. His promoter added that Joshua remains under observation in a hospital, where checks and treatments are underway.
"Our deepest condolences and prayers are with the families and friends of all those affected - and we ask that their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time," the Matchroom statement said.
While Eddie Hearn, the chairman of the Matchroom Sport, paid tribute to ‘two great men’ who lost their lives, saying, "Rest in eternal peace Sina and Latz. My thoughts and deepest prayers are with everyone”, boxing expert Steve Bunce described Ghami and Ayodele as ‘two of his closest friends’ and significant part of who Anthony is today.
"They've been with him, if not from the start, at least very early on. Latz is AJ's personal trainer, and Sina is his strength and conditioning man. They are with him all the time," Bunce said in a chat with BBC Radio 5 Live.
Meanwhile, hours before the crash, the former world champion posted a video of himself playing a game of table tennis with Ayodele, while Ghami recently posted images on social media from Lagos.
Governments confirm Joshua’s stable condition
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A joint statement from Ogun and Lagos state governments confirmed an update on Joshua, saying he is stable and conscious after the horrible crash, and that he had been in contact with his family. They also said in an earlier statement that Joshua ‘narrowly escaped death’ and there will be a ‘comprehensive investigation’ into what happened on the scene.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also spoke with the 36-year-old to convey his condolences for his loss and wished him a speedy recovery. He also took to his social media handle (X) to inform all about Joshua’s current state.
"AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care," Tinubu said in a post on X.
What happened?
The car crash took place on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around noon on Monday; the accident involved two vehicles – a black Lexus, in which Anthony Joshua and his teammates were sitting and a stationary red commercial truck.
Per Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Joshua’s Lexus was ‘suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit’, based on preliminary findings. As also reported by the BBC, the car appeared to have lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre and crashed into the truck stationed by the side of the road.
Local officials revealed Joshua and the vehicle’s driver were both rescued by the boxer’s security team, while a video, surfacing on social media, shows the boxer being helped out of the back seat of a wrecked SUV.
