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Anthony Joshua Honors Late Friends with Heartfelt Tattoo Tribute Following Tragic Nigeria Crash
Anthony Joshua is grieving the tragic demise of two of his closest friends, who lost their lives in a car accident in Nigeria last month. To remember his heavyweight boxer pal Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, the two of whom he lost, he has had their names inked on his arm.
The crash happened in December when the car that they were in ran into a truck near Lagos. Joshua, who was also in the vehicle, got a short hospital stay after which he was discharged and taken back to the UK. He went to the funerals of Ghami who was his strength and conditioning coach and Ayodele one of his trainers.
The 36-year-old selected a tattoo parlor in London to have the memorial ink done. Fulham Tattoo posted on Instagram how stunned they were when the two-time world champion came in without appointment or announcement. Joshua, who already has an outline of Africa on his right bicep, combined the names “LATZ” and “SINA” with it directly underneath.
Anthony Joshua Tears Up While Talking About Tragic Death of Close Friends in Nigeria
Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer with Nigerian roots. He was on a trip to Lagos, Nigeria from Miami, following his fight against Jake Paul when the unfortunate car accident occurred. Joshua, who was defeated, took to social media to express his gratitude to the fans for their support. In one of his recent posts, he shared an emotional video disclosing the extent to which the accident had troubled him.
“The last time I spoke to you was in Miami, we had so many plans for wrapping up 2025. We were going home to see our families and everything got turned upside down,” he said.
“That was such an unexpected event that none of us had any control over. And not only did their parents, their uncles, their cousins, their friends and myself, we all have lost two wonderful people. We lost people who we really loved and have been major players in all of our lives, major, major players in all of our lives. It’s hard. It’s really hard.”
Joshua went on to say, “I’m not going to pretend like I don’t have any feelings here. I understand nowadays it is very easy to judge and criticize people, but I know what I thought, and I know how I feel.”
Anthony Joshua Remembers His Late Friends Through The Promise To Take Care Of Their Families
Anthony Joshua emotionally described how close he was to Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele with whom he literally lived together, calling them first “brothers” and “friends” then “business partners.” “I’m very clear on who I am, what I’m capable of doing, and who I am first and foremost. They were my brothers, my friends, before we became business partners, hustlers, generals, everything. We were housemates, living together,” he revealed.
Joshua, still deeply grieving, said, “I’ve lost a lot of people over the years, but I have never, in any circumstance, lost anyone on this particular road I am talking about. Each time, I think that I’m the one, the big guy…but actually, I was walking with giants.” I was protected.”
He expressed again his intention to help the families of Ghami and Ayodele: “I want to help their families and to help them achieve their dreams. Although they may not be physically present, I will always be praying for them and helping them fulfill the dreams they had for their families. I’m not the only one helping, there is a whole team working on this.”
Joshua further said, “There is a whole system that will be helping to fulfill their legacy and their dreams. But here in my corner of the world, I know what I’m doing and we know how we’re going to continue here. I’m going to do what’s right by their family. It’s about what’s important to me and they are very important players, very important team, very important friends, and two of my brothers.”
Anthony Joshua Thanks Everyone around the World and Talks about the Uncertain Future
Anthony Joshua has expressed his heartfelt thanks to everyone who has shown him love and support after the loss of his dear friends. “So I don’t think I’ve really said how much I appreciate and love the people. It’s something that we and the families acknowledge, 100 per cent. For sure we recognize the 1000s, maybe millions around the world that show so much love to them both. I really still can’t get over it,” he explained.
Anthony Joshua continued, “We have taken it all in what you people have been saying; we have watched the messages, the tweets, the social media, the YouTube, the prayers, basically, everything, and it has been noted. So indeed, we are aware of what we desire to accomplish.” Mumma Latz, Mumma Sina, Pappa Latz, Pappa Sina, one love.”
Although Joshua has posted some videos of his training, it is still uncertain about his continuance in professional boxing. Eddie Hearn, his promoter, recently told IFL, “I haven’t been able to see him since that awful crash. It’s not easy,” indicating that Joshua might still be deciding whether to come back to the ring.
Eddie Hearn on Anthony Joshua’s Recovery and Uncertain Boxing Future
A promoter of Anthony Joshua, Eddie Hearn, has given an update not only on the physical recovery of Joshua but also on his future in boxing. “He is not idle and is keeping himself busy. Physically, he is working on the healing part of the injuries he suffered. These are not injuries that will be a source of problem to him in the long run. However, they are injuries that require time,” explained Hearn.
“When you look at boxing, it is a brutal and rough sport. You can’t just return to training camp with injuries like that and I’m not sure when or even if he will go back into camp. At present, there is neither any discussion nor any necessity to have a discussion about that.”
Hearn reiterated the point that Joshua would stick with boxing: “AJ will keep on training no matter what. Never forget that boxing completely changed his life and hence, he will never stop going to the gym.”
Besides, he stated, “The thing is, at the moment, he is not actually training to come back. He is simply training his mind. And he is training himself to get well and to heal mentally. I am just amazed at his power and his persistence.”
