STATEMENT: CHRIS EUBANK JR. AND JAKE PAUL REACT TO FATAL ANTHONY JOSHUA ACCIDENT
Tragedy in Lagos as Anthony Joshua survives a fatal crash that killed coach Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Get the full report here.
Two of Anthony Joshua's buddies and team members died in that car crash in Nigeria where the British boxer was hurt.
Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele passed away when their car, with Joshua and another person inside, crashed into a parked truck near Lagos.
According to the Ogun State government, Joshua is doing okay and didn't need immediate medical help.
Matchroom, Joshua's promoters, said they were really sorry and thinking of the families and friends of Ghami and Ayodele.
The statement said it was really sad news that Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, two close friends and team members, had died.
Matchroom Boxing and 258 BXG said that Anthony got hurt in the accident and went to the hospital to get checked out. He's doing fine and will stay there for a bit to be watched over.
They also said they were sending their deepest sympathies and prayers to everyone affected and asked that people respect their privacy during this tough time.
Fellow boxer Chris Eubank Jr. also paid his respects to Ghami and Ayodele, who was also called 'Latz,' saying they were genuinely good guys.
The British middleweight said, Thank goodness our heavyweight champ survived that awful car crash. Pray for Latz & Sina and their families. I knew them both; they were good people. Rest in peace, guys.
Ghami was Joshua's full-time rehab coach and had worked with him for over 10 years.
He helped the former champ get ready for some big fights, like the one against Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 and the recent win over Jake Paul.
Ghami also worked with Le'Veon Bell from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Draymond Green from the Golden State Warriors.
Just before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing ping pong with his longtime friend Ayodele, who was a personal trainer.
Joshua was in Nigeria after beating Jake Paul in Miami earlier this month.
Paul wrote on X that life is more important than boxing and that he was praying for those who died, AJ, and anyone else affected by the accident.
Sonny Bill Williams, a former New Zealand rugby star, posted photos with Joshua and Latif, saying, Rest easy, brother Abdul Latif. I hope things are easy for your family.
British bantamweight Shannon Courtenay said, RIP Sina and Latz, two good guys. Last week we were all having fun in Miami, and now you're gone. Life's too short. I hope their families are okay during this terrible time.
Video from the scene showed Joshua being helped out of a wrecked car.
Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said that five men were involved in the crash.
They added that Joshua and the driver were saved by Joshua's security team.
The crash involved a black Lexus and a parked red truck on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway around noon on Monday.
The FRSC thinks the Lexus was going too fast and lost control while trying to pass, crashing into the truck.
Joshua had just come back to boxing after a year off, beating Jake Paul in what was a huge payday. He was in Nigeria to spend New Year's with family when this happened.
The plan was for Joshua to box again in Saudi Arabia in February before maybe fighting Tyson Fury in 2026. But right now, that doesn't seem important.
Joshua has lost two close friends, including his longtime coach Ghami. It's hard to say how much this will affect him. Ghami was with him during fight week in Miami and joined him in the ring after he beat Paul.
Whatever he does next in his career doesn't really matter right now. The boxing world is hoping that Joshua gets through this okay.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
