Anthony Joshua staves off tears as he opens up on loss of friends in car crash: ‘I was walking with giants’

Anthony Joshua has opened up on the loss of two close friends as he issued a tearful message to the fans addressing his fatal car crash in Nigeria.

The boxing world united to pay tribute to Joshua’s former teammates Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele after both were killed in the accident near Lagos on 29 December.

‘AJ’, the former world heavyweight champion, appeared in agony as he was hauled out of the vehicle but was only left with minor injuries and has since returned to the gym in a bid to revisit his craft.

Joshua issued an initial statement paying tribute to Ghami and Ayodele but has now taken to Instagram to speak more vulnerably to his fanbase.

“Not only did their parents, their uncles, their cousins their friends, and myself lose two great men. We lost people we dearly care about and have been major players in all of our lives,” Joshua said. “It’s tough, it’s really tough.

 “I’m not going to sit here and show all of my emotions. I know in today’s day and age, it’s easy to micro-analsze as people and pass judgement but I know what I feel, and that’s what that matters to me.

“I know what my duty is. They’re my brothers. They’re my friends, first and foremost. And then we became business partners. We became hustlers. We became lieutenants, we became generals. We became everything. We became housemates who were living together.”

It is the third post from Joshua since the accident, having first posted a shot of himself alongside family members, with a portrait shot of Ghami, before posting a touching written tribute.

As he staved off tears, Joshua added: “It is a shame, it’s a shame. So there’s that side of things. One day my time will come and I’m not scared at all. It’s actually comforting knowing I’ve got two brothers on the other side.

“I’ve lost people before but I don’t think I’ve lost people like that. My left and my right. Throughout this like journey that I’ve been on, they’ve been (here), it’s not easy.

“I’m the big guy, but I was walking with giants that kept me protected, kept me shielded. But the mission must go on. I understand my duty. I understand what they wanted to do for their families.

“So what my goal is, is to continue to help them achieve their goals, even though they may not be here in physical. When I pray at night, when I pray in the morning, I know spiritually they’re gonna aid me through because it’s not just physical strength that will get me through, it’s going to take a lot of strength from the higher power.

“I’m going to definitely be saying my prayers and I’m gonna help them fulfil their dreams for their families. Not only me, there’s a whole team of us, the the whole brotherhood, the whole sisterhood that will be helping fulfil their legacy and fulfil their dreams.”

The crash came 10 days after Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth-round of their fight in Miami, a bout that drew the ire of some critics who questioned how it would affect Joshua’s legacy in the ring.

“I had a lot of those questions during my fight in Miami – how does this affect your legacy, legacy, legacy? It ain’t about legacy, it’s just doing what’s right,” Joshua asserted.

“I’m going to do what’s right by them. I’m going to do what’s right by their family. It’s about what’s important to me and they were very important players, very important team members, very important friends, and two of my brothers.”

Joshua also made sure to thank all those who had offered their support and love across social media, saying it was “all acknowledged”.