Former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, is mourning the loss of two close associates who died in a tragic car crash near Lagos last week. The friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, were laid to rest on Sunday, January 4, 2026, as the legal process against the driver involved commenced.
The Fatal Crash and Immediate Aftermath
The accident occurred on Monday, December 29, 2025, on a major road near Lagos. Anthony Joshua was a passenger in the back of a black Lexus SUV when it collided with a stationary truck. While the 36-year-old British-Nigerian boxer narrowly escaped death, the impact claimed the lives of both Ayodele and Ghami.
Joshua was hospitalized for several days and was discharged on New Year's Eve. He subsequently flew back to his home in the United Kingdom on Friday, January 2. From the UK, he broke his silence on social media, posting a poignant photograph with his mother, Yeta Odusanya, and members of his late friend's family. He captioned the image "My Brother's Keeper."
It has since emerged that a last-minute seat change may have saved Joshua's life. Reports indicate he initially sat in the front passenger seat but was asked by the driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, to move to the back. This was allegedly because the driver's view of the wing mirror was obstructed by Joshua's stature. Latif Ayodele then took the front seat, a decision that proved fatal.
Legal Proceedings and Funeral Rites
The Ogun State Police Command moved swiftly with the legal case. On Friday, January 2, 2026, they confirmed that the driver, 46-year-old Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, had been charged at the Sagamu Magistrate Court. The charges are severe and include:
- Causing death by dangerous driving
- Reckless and negligent driving
- Driving without due care and attention
- Driving without a valid driver's licence
The case has been adjourned until January 20, 2026, for further hearing. The driver's lawyer, in statements to the press, entered a not-guilty plea, suggesting the vehicle's brakes failed and maintaining the incident was a tragic accident.
Before their burial on Sunday, Joshua and his mother paid their respects to Ayodele and Ghami at a funeral home in Lagos on Wednesday afternoon. It remains unclear if Joshua attended the actual burial service, with sources suggesting concerns that his high-profile presence could create a media spectacle and distract from the solemn occasion.
Impact on Joshua's Boxing Career and Future
The tragedy has cast significant doubt on Anthony Joshua's immediate future in the boxing ring. Promoter Frank Warren has admitted that a planned high-profile fight against Tyson Fury, tentatively scheduled for mid-2026, is now in serious jeopardy and may not happen until late in the year, if at all.
Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan has publicly advised that Joshua must be given ample time to grieve and process the traumatic event before any decisions about his career are made. McGuigan noted that surviving such a crash, where close friends perished, is a profoundly haunting experience that can alter a person's perspective and will.
"It must have been terrifying, traumatic, as well as heartbreaking," McGuigan wrote. "The question now is how that impacts his life. When you lose people as close as that, it can have a profound effect... He will need time to get over this, but as a professional athlete, time is the one commodity he does not have."
The boxing world now waits to see how Anthony Joshua navigates this period of profound personal loss, as the legal case concerning the deaths of Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami continues in Ogun State.
