Nigerian authorities have provided new information following a car accident involving boxer Anthony Joshua, which resulted in the deaths of two team members.
The 36-year-old boxer was vacationing in Nigeria after his much-anticipated bout against Jake Paul. He was riding as a passenger in a Lexus SUV when the vehicle crashed into a stationary truck on December 29.
Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi, from Nigeria’s Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), stated that preliminary investigations indicated the Lexus had a ‘tyre burst due to excessive speed’.
The vehicle then ‘lost control’ and collided in Ogun State, near Lagos, Nigeria.
Matchroom Boxing, Joshua’s promoter, confirmed in a statement that the crash resulted in the deaths of Joshua’s friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who were also passengers. They were declared dead at the scene.
Following the incident, Joshua was transported to a hospital in Sagamu for ‘checks and treatment’. Initially, officials from Ogun and Lagos mentioned that Joshua had ‘narrowly escaped death’ but was in a stable condition.
On December 30, further details were shared by the Governments of Ogun and Lagos, revealing that Joshua and another passenger were ‘immediately evacuated to a specialized facility in Lagos’.
The statement added, “Doctors have conducted several clinical assessments and have confirmed that both patients are stable and do not require any emergency interventions at this time.”
“A comprehensive medical team has since been convened and will continue to monitor them closely. Anthony Joshua has since been relating well with his family.”
The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, commented on Joshua’s situation: “We are comfortable with the doctors and the quality of care at the hospital, and we appreciate the medical team for their professionalism.”
Ghami, aged 36, served as a physiotherapist and had been Joshua’s sport and exercise rehabilitation coach for over a decade, assisting him in preparing for his fight against Jake Paul.
Latif “Latz” Ayodele was also a longstanding member of Joshua’s team, working as his personal trainer.
Boxing analyst Steve Bunce spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about the accident, stating that both team members were ‘a massive part of the Anthony Joshua machine’.
“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 explained.
“He calls them his boys. They’re more than that. They are friends. They may have strict jobs, they might be his strength and conditioning coach, his personal trainer, his dietitian, his nutritionist, but they’re close and he loves that close circle.”