Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is seriously considering retirement from boxing following a fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends and team members, his uncle, Adedamola Joshua, has said.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Adedamola disclosed that the 36-year-old boxer privately informed his family of the decision after last week’s accident.
“The major thing there is that he has retired from boxing. That is one thing that makes us glad because each time he’s fighting in the ring, we are always carried away emotionally,” he said.
“Each time he’s knocked down, it is just like the heart is coming out of our chest… Now that he has said that he’s leaving while the ovation is highest, we are happy.” When asked if Joshua had communicated the decision directly to the family, his uncle responded, “Yes.”
Joshua also pledged lifelong support to the families of the two victims, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, who died in the crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
He broke his silence on Sunday with an Instagram post captioned “My Brothers Keeper,” while a source close to his camp told The Sun, “AJ is fiercely loyal to his friends and their families and will be there for them for the rest of their lives.”
Ghami, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer, were key members of his boxing team.
The Ogun State Police confirmed that the driver, Adeniyi Kayode, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, among other offences, while Joshua, who escaped with minor injuries, later attended the funeral service for the deceased in London.