Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua sustained minor injuries in a car accident that killed two of Joshua’s close friends, Sina Ghami and Kevin Ayodele, just outside Sagamu, Nigeria, on Monday, according to multiple reports.
This accident occurs just outside of a week when Joshua made international headlines by knocking out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their December 19 fight on Netflix. According to ESPN, “…was traveling in the back of a Lexus SUV on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Sagamu, his ancestral hometown, when the vehicle was involved in a collision at around 11 a.m. local time. Joshua was transported to a specialist medical facility in Lagos and is in stable condition, according to local government.”
The cause of the accident was a busted tire, which “caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road,” Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN.
In a video that has since been making its rounds on social media, Joshua can be seen wincing in pain as he is being handled carefully from the vehicle. The two friends of Joshua who died were sitting in the front of the car, and based on the video shown above, there was no way they could have survived such an accident.
Jake Paul Reacts on Social Media
News reached Paul, and he shared some thoughts on X by first posting the following: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ, and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.” Paul then posted again on X and said, “RIP Sina Ghami and Kevin “Latif / Latz” Ayodele. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends and AJ.”
It’s truly a sad moment for the families of the two men who passed away on Monday, and for Joshua, who saw his life flash before his eyes. That can be a tough thing to get past, so only time will tell if this will impact his career and probably means he won’t be fighting in the next few months, as his promoter, Eddie Hearn, mentioned shortly after the Paul fight.
FightsATW will continue to monitor the story as it develops.
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