Joshua Struggles with Loss Ahead of Fight

Anthony Joshua stated that he is not ready for the loss of his two close friends and team members to "sink in yet" as he prepared for his first fight since their death. Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele died when the vehicle they were travelling in, alongside heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos, Nigeria, on 29 December 2025. Joshua, who sustained minor injuries, was set to return to the ring against heavyweight Kristian Prenga on Saturday for his first contest since knocking out American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul 10 days before the crash.

The 36-year-old shared with BBC Sport: "It’s tough, every time I think about it, it hurts. Even talking about it now... pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know. If I stop, you let it sink in and I’m not ready for it to sink in yet."

Ghami had been Joshua’s full-time sport and exercise rehabilitation coach and worked with him for over 10 years. Just hours before the crash, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him playing table tennis with his long-time friend Ayodele, a personal trainer.

Prenga is set to be Joshua’s first competitive fight following his knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. Joshua admitted to feeling a "little bit nervous" before his return, saying, "It’s competition at the highest level. I want to perform for my team, I want to make them proud and make myself proud. It’s a balance of nerves but I understand what my job is. [I have] a lot of understanding and clarity on what I have to do."

A long-awaited fight between Joshua and fellow Briton Tyson Fury is expected to occur later in the year if both men win their respective bouts. Former heavyweight champion Fury is scheduled to face Poland’s Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday, with the 46-year-old expected to be Fury’s final opponent before the anticipated "Battle of Britain" bout against Joshua. Fury’s bout with Wach takes place the night before Joshua is scheduled to take on Albania’s Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The timing of these fights could allow Fury to attend Joshua’s event.

Joshua declined Fury’s invite to face-off in the ring after the latter’s victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, but admitted that a face-off might not be far off: "I’m not overlooking Prenga. This is a big deal for me this fight. God willing, everything works out. If it’s not Saturday night where we face-off, it will be within the next four to six weeks. It’s a big mark to leave on the sport. If I win on Saturday and I could win later in the year, it’s massive. The stars are aligned and I have to make sure that I’m on course. It’s out there for me to go and do. It’s going to be challenging but I can be the coward or the hero, and I have to decide what I want to be.