Anthony Joshua shares touching Mother’s Day dance with families of ‘brothers’ killed in crash

An emotional Anthony Joshua paid tribute to Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele as he celebrated the legacy of his late ‘brothers’ with their grieving families on Mother’s Day.

Joshua was involved in the tragic car accident that claimed the lives of his two friends in the town of Makun in southwestern Nigeria in late December.

The trio had been enjoying a break together in Nigeria, the birthplace of both of Joshua’s parents, following the heavyweight boxer’s knockout victory over Jake Paul in Miami.

Videos from the crash scene showed a wincing Joshua – who had been sat in the backseat – clearly in discomfort as he emerged from the mangled wreckage by the side of the road.

The 36-year-old was taken to hospital before being released on New Year’s Day having escaped with minor injuries after the Lexus SUV he was travelling had collided with a stationary truck.

The driver of the vehicle, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, has since appeared in court in Nigeria, charged with causing death by dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and driving without a valid driver’s license.

With the case reportedly adjourned until April, Joshua has spent the intervening weeks coming to terms with and mourning the loss of two of his closest pals, who had formed part of his tight inner circle throughout much of his career.

‘Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers. I didn’t even realise how special they are,’ Joshua said in one of his first social media posts after the tragedy in January.

‘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.’

Joshua also shared a photograph with some of the loved ones of Sina and Latif – who he affectionately knew as Latz – just days after the fatal collision.

During what has been a painful period in both his life and career, Joshua has kept a relatively low profile while recovering from the mental and physical scars he suffered.

But away from the ring and the pressure-cooker of elite-level sport, Joshua had the chance to enjoy a celebration with his family – and those of Sina and Latz – at the weekend to mark Mother’s Day.

A touching video from the event shows Joshua shaking a leg and sharing a joke on the dancefloor with some of Sina and Latz’s loved ones, which has been met with universal love and admiration.

Joshua also took the opportunity to pay homage to his fallen ‘brothers’ at the gathering, saying his ‘heart’ was with them two-and-a-half months on from their tragic deaths.

‘I thank God that we can come under one roof and celebrate our mothers, celebrate our brothers, celebrate those that are not with us, celebrate those that are with us, knowing that our fate will one day come,’ Joshua said, at one point having to hold back the tears.

‘We just stay strong until that day. We pray for our transition and just to be great in the afterlife.

‘Why I talk about that is because my heart is for my bros right now.’

Joshua went on to thank the mothers of both Sina and Latz for giving him two trusted allies to travel the world with for so many years.

‘This is for my mum and our family but also Sina and Latz, Sina’s mum, Latz’s mum, it’s all interconnected,’ the former 2012 gold medalist added.

‘I’m not making too much sense, I’m just speaking from my heart basically.

‘So thank you mums for giving me Latz and Sina for so many years, looking over me, I appreciate it a lot and thank you very much.’

In an interview with iFL TV last week, Joshua’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that the fighter was eyeing an imminent return to training ahead of a possible showdown with Tyson Fury at the end of the year.

‘We’re very close to returning to training camp,’ he explained.

‘And I feel like AJ is physically and perhaps mentally ready to throw himself back in to that environment.

‘And it’s exciting, I mean, for everything that he’s been through and all the pain, I don’t think that will leave.

‘But he has a career and he has a job to do in that respect, which he wants to continue doing. And I’m excited to see him back.

‘I feel like with fighters – some may disagree watching this – but generally I feel like they’re at their happiest when they’re in training camp.

‘Like everything’s there. The regiment is there, the discipline is there, the focus is there, intention’s there, the end goal is there.

‘And although it’s a lot of hard work, I really feel like AJ as well when he’s in training camp that’s him.’

Hearn suggested it was likely Joshua would have to accept a warm-up bout in the summer before a potential blockbuster with Fury.

‘The March fight now becomes probably July and if the Fury fight is still there, that probably becomes November, something like that,’ he added.

‘So there’s been discussions about going straight into a Fury fight. Obviously, he’s got his fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov.

‘With everything that’s happened, I expect him to have a fight first and that fight to come in the summer.

‘But you never know how he feels and you might feel fantastic and he might say, “Let’s let’s go straight in.” I don’t think so.

‘Given the fact that he only had a few rounds against Jake Paul and everything that’s happened as well, unfortunately.

‘But until he gets back into training camp, there’ll be there’ll be no decisions on the actual route that we take.’

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