BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has paid tribute to the two “brothers” he lost in a tragic car accident last month in Nigeria.
Joshua was briefly hospitalized after the Dec. 29 highway crash in Ogun state which killed two members of his boxing team, personal trainer Latif Ayodele and strength coach Sini Ghami.
Joshua, 36, released a statement Thursday after returning home to the United Kingdom following their funerals.
“Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realize how special they are. I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men,” Joshua posted on X.
“100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents. I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers.”
The accident occurred 10 days after Joshua’s sixth-round knockout victory against Jake Paul, contested in Miami and streamed on Netflix.
He had vacationed in Nigeria at the time. A preliminary investigation indicated that Joshua’s car, which was being driven by Kayode Adeniyi, was “over-speeding” when a tire burst, leading to loss of control of the SUV, which crashed into a stationary vehicle.
Adeniyi is facing multiple charges, including counts of dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care or attention causing bodily harm and damage to property and driving without a valid national driver’s license.
