Two close friends and team members of world-renowned boxer, Anthony Joshua, have been identified 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 hospital for checks and treatment, noting that he was in a stable condition and would remain under observation.

The BBC also confirmed that the two men killed in the crash were Joshua’s teammates, adding that both were part of his inner circle.

Online reports that just hours before the accident, Joshua had posted an Instagram story showing him playing table tennis with Latif Ayodele, popularly known as Latz.

Who were they?

Sina Ghami

Sina Ghami was Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach for more than a decade.

He also co-founded Evolve Gym in London.

BBC reports that Ghami is a qualified sports and exercise rehabilitator who specialises in musculoskeletal injuries and corrective exercise.

Ghami had worked with athletes across several sports, including the National Football League, National Basketball Association and the Michigan State University football team.

The BBC reports that Ghami, who specialised in sports rehabilitation and injury prevention, had shared social media posts from Lagos shortly before the crash and frequently posted photos with Joshua.

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 before the accident.

How the crash happened

As earlier reported by PUNCH Online, Joshua was involved in the road accident around 11 am on Monday at Makun, near the Danco Filling Station, before the Sagamu Interchange inward Ibadan on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Anthony Joshua is helped out of his Lexus SUV following a crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday. Photo: Adeniyi Orojo/PUNCH.

“It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV. Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him. There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed. His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.

“Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist. A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived,” he said.

He added that the passenger beside the driver and the occupant beside Joshua died on the spot, while Joshua sustained minor injuries.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps later arrived at the scene and commenced rescue and investigation efforts.

Official reactions

The Ogun State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that two passengers died at the scene while Joshua and one other person were hospitalised.

Moments after Joshua (middle) was rescued from the car crash and taken for hospital treatment. Photo: PUNCH

In a statement shared on X, the police said the deceased had been conveyed to the Livewell Hospital Morgue in Sagamu, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash had commenced.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, in its preliminary findings, attributed the crash to excessive speed and wrongful overtaking, noting that the Lexus SUV lost control before colliding with the stationary truck.

Joshua, who was born to British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, a few kilometres from where the accident occurred.

Messages of condolence have continued to pour in from fans and public figures, while tributes have flooded social media for Ghami and Ayodele.

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