Two close friends and team members of former Heavyweight world Champion Anthony Joshua have been named as the victims of the fatal road crash that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing, confirmed in a statement that the deceased were Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, both of whom worked closely with the boxer for several years. “With profound sadness, it has been confirmed that two close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele have tragically passed away,” Matchroom Boxing said.
The company added that Joshua sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to the hospital for checks and treatment, noting that he was in stable condition and would remain under observation.
Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, both long-time friends of Joshua, were killed after the Lexus SUV they were all travelling in smashed into a stationary truck shortly after 11am on Monday on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Makun.
Images of the crumpled wreckage were released by Nigerian officials, while a Mitsubishi believed to be part of Joshua’s convoy sat undamaged just yards away.
Joshua – who was sat behind the driver’s seat – miraculously cheated death and was later seen being pulled from the wreckage, appearing dazed and wincing in pain.
Tragically, his strength and conditioning coach, Mr Ghami, and trainer, Mr Ayodele, did not survive. Two other men escaped unhurt.
A representative of Joshua issued a statement this evening confirming the deaths of the boxer’s two team members and ‘close friends’.
The spokesman said: ‘It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos, Nigeria earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Kevin “Lateef” Ayodel
Sina Ghami
Sina Ghami was Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach for more than a decade and co-founded Evolve Gym in London. The BBC reports that Ghami is a qualified sports and exercise rehabilitator who specializes in musculoskeletal injuries and corrective exercise. He had worked with athletes across several sports, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and the Michigan State University football team. Ghami, who specialized in sports rehabilitation and injury prevention, had shared social media posts from Lagos shortly before the crash and frequently posted photos with Joshua.
Both were close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team.
We respectfully ask that space and privacy be given to the families at this time while they process this truly shocking and devastating news.
‘Anthony sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment, he is in a stable condition and will remain there for observation.
‘No further information will be made available at this time.’
Just hours before the crash, a shirtless Joshua had posted a video of him playing table tennis with Mr Ayodele.
The former world champion, whose parents are both Nigerian, shared a story to his 18 million followers on Instagram at 9.30am local time (8.30am GMT), where he appeared happy as he rallied with his close friend.
Joshua, who is understood to have been on his way to see family to celebrate the New Year, accompanied the clip with the message: ‘@healthy_mindset [Mr Ayodele] dishing out table tennis smoke.’
It is unclear when the footage was taken but it was posted just an hour and a half before Mr Ayodele and Mr Ghami were killed in the same car Joshua was in.
Mr Ghami had also shared a heartbreaking story on Sunday night where he ate a Persian meal with a friend and smiled as he said: ‘One life.’ This morning, he posted a picture of a Mitsubishi, which was part of Joshua’s convoy.
Latif “Latz” Ayodele
Latif Ayodele, widely known as Latz, was Joshua’s personal trainer. His social media pages reflected a deep passion for fitness and a strong commitment to Islam. Ayodele regularly posted photos with Joshua on his Instagram page and was seen with the boxer shortly h
