Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is seriously considering retirement from boxing, according to his uncle, Adedamola Joshua.
The 36-year-old boxer, who survived a fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends and team members, made the decision known to his family in private following last week’s tragedy.
“The major thing there is that he has retired from boxing. That is one thing that makes us glad because each time he’s fighting in the ring, we are always carried away emotionally,” Adedamola told The PUNCH during a visit to the family home in Sagamu on Monday morning.
“Each time he’s knocked down, it is just like the heart is coming out of our chest. All these emotional feelings whenever he’s fighting, it’s too much trauma for us, also. Now that he has said that he’s leaving while the ovation is highest, we are happy.”
Our correspondent asked if Joshua had communicated this decision to the family.
“Yes,” the uncle confirmed.
The boxing star has also committed to providing lifelong support to the families of his two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, who died in the car accident near Lagos last Monday.
Joshua broke his public silence on Sunday, sharing photographs with the bereaved relatives on Instagram. His post carried the caption “My Brothers Keeper”, accompanied by two heart emojis and a military helmet symbol representing protection. The phrase references a biblical passage from Genesis 4:9, conveying a moral obligation to look after others.
A source within Joshua’s camp told UK publication The Sun, “AJ is fiercely loyal to his friends and their families and will be there for them for the rest of their lives. He’s had the same team around him for his whole career, and that team included Sina and Latz.”
Ghami served as Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, while Ayodele worked as his personal trainer, making both men integral members of his boxing camp.
The pair had travelled to Nigeria with Joshua to visit his family when tragedy struck. Their Lexus SUV collided with a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Both Ghami and Ayodele were killed instantly at the scene.
Joshua had to be extracted from the wreckage by rescuers. The boxer was rushed to the hospital but escaped with only minor injuries.
Joshua attended an emotional funeral service at the London Central Mosque on Sunday, joining other mourners to pay his respects. The two coffins were positioned side by side as the Janaza – the Islamic funeral prayer – was read. Hundreds of members of the public had gathered outside the gates of the mosque before the coffins were taken to a nearby crematorium for the funeral service. A wake followed in the afternoon.
One of the indigenes in Sagamu, Adeniji Taiwo, expressed relief that Joshua survived the crash while mourning the loss of the two friends.
