According to his promoter Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua may decide to give up boxing after two of his close friends died in a vehicle accident in Nigeria.
As he continues to heal both mentally and physically after the December accident in Ogun State, Hearn stated that there are no assurances the former heavyweight champion will make a comeback to the ring.
After defeating Jake Paul with a single blow in his last fight, Joshua reportedly traveled to Nigeria to see family. But on December 29, 2025, catastrophe struck when the car he was riding in met a halted truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Latif “Latz” Ayodele, one of Joshua’s trainers, and Sina Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, perished in the collision. Joshua made it through and was treated at a hospital before going back to the UK. After that, he went to both men’s funerals.
Hearn said in an interview with First Round TV that it’s still unknown what Joshua’s future in the sport holds.
He likes fighting, so while I don’t think there are any guarantees he will do it again, I do anticipate him to. However, Hearn expressed that he wants to accomplish it and that he can bring those folks along with him.
He went on to say that the crash’s effects extended beyond psychological harm.
Physically speaking, it wasn’t easy for him either from a boxing perspective. It’s likely that people are unaware of the depth of his experiences. He has been training, but the boxing promoter pointed out that he is not yet ready and won’t be for some time.
Hearn revealed that Joshua has been getting ready for a fight in March, with a fight against fellow Brit Tyson Fury being considered. Now, those plans have been put on hold.
“We were getting ready for him to face Tyson Fury in March. That will obviously not occur at this time. I doubt that it will ever occur. He will intensify his training over the next months to assess his progress, Hearn stated.
After being out of the ring for more than a year, Fury is expected to make his comeback in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Joshua, meanwhile, has tattooed the names of his departed buddies on his body as a memorial. The two-time world champion paid the London-based studio Fulham Tattoo an unexpected visit for his debut session, according to pictures of the artwork posted on Instagram.
“A huge thank you to Anthony Joshua, the two-time heavyweight champion of the world, for coming in for the first time a few weeks ago at Fulham Tattoo London … what a walk in,” the post said.
Joshua has not yet discussed his boxing future in public.
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