Anthony Joshua has paid tribute to close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who were killed in a car crash in Nigeria, saying he is finding it “tough” to process their deaths.
Ghami and Ayodele died when the vehicle they were in, alongside heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos.
Joshua sustained minor injuries in the crash before flying home to United Kingdom and attending the funeral at a mosque in London on Sunday.
”Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers,” Joshua posted on Instagram on Thursday, external.
“I didn’t even realise 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.
“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.”
Ghami was Joshua’s full-time sport and exercise rehabilitation coach and worked with him for more than 10 years.
Hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing table tennis with his long-time friend Ayodele, a personal trainer.
On Sunday, Joshua posted two pictures on Instagram, one showing him sitting alongside his mother and family members of the victims including the mothers of Ghami and Ayodele, and one with him holding a photograph of Ghami.
Driver Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged at Sagamu Magistrates’ Court on Friday. Police sources told the BBC the charges included causing death by dangerous driving.
The defendant was granted bail of 5m naira (£2,578) and remanded pending his bail conditions being met. The case has been adjourned until 20 January.
Joshua, who was born in Watford, has family roots in Sagamu – a town in Ogun state, near the crash site.
The 2012 Olympic champion was on his way to visit relatives for new year celebrations in the town at the time of the collision, a family member told the BBC.
The boxer had been spending time in Nigeria after his recent victory over American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December.
On Thursday, UFC fighter Kamaru Usman apologised after footage of his private video call with Joshua in hospital circulated online, saying he “takes full responsibility” for posting the clip on YouTube without properly checking the full video.
