The two “close friends” of Anthony Joshua killed in a car crash in Nigeria in which the British boxer was injured have been named by his spokesperson.
Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele died in Monday’s road traffic accident which happened on a busy highway around lunchtime.
They were both described as being “integral members” of the boxer’s team.
Joshua suffered minor injuries as he travelled in the back of a black Lexus that hit a truck in Makun, Ogun State, about 30 miles from the country’s biggest city, Lagos.
Authorities said the former two-time world heavyweight champion, 36, was taken to hospital for treatment along with another injured passenger, while Ghami and Ayodele were killed.
Joshua and the other survivor are described by officials as being in a “stable” condition.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
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Naming the two men who died, Joshua’s spokesperson said in a statement: “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’ Ayodele.
“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.”
The Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on X: “I have spoken with AJ to personally convey my condolences over the passing of his two close associates, Kevin Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami in the recent accident.
“I wished him a full and speedy recovery, and prayed with him. AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care.”
A statement on X by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, from Matchroom Boxing, also confirmed the victims’ names, saying: “With profound sadness it has been confirmed that two close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele have tragically passed away.”
The crash happened on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Sagamu, at about midday local time (11am UK time), according to the Nigerian federal road safety corps (FRSC).
Joshua is on holiday in Africa following his win over US YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami just over a week ago.
The FRSC said preliminary findings indicated the Lexus was “suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed limit” and “lost control” while overtaking before crashing into the truck, which was parked by the side of the road.
“The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways,” the corps said on X.
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Joshua, who is the son of British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, around 50 miles from where the crash happened, before returning to Britain at the age of 12.
Pictures released by the FRSC show the badly damaged Lexus that Joshua was travelling in and the red Sinotruck that it collided with.
Footage posted on social media shows the British ex-world heavyweight champion apparently wincing in pain as he is helped out of the wreckage by a crowd.
Other clips show him in an emergency vehicle, wearing only a pair of shorts, as he is driven away from the scene.
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