Hearn calls for privacy as Joshua mourns friends amid retirement claims

Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Anthony Joshua, has urged restraint over speculation about the former heavyweight champion’s future following a fatal road accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s close friends, Sport360NG reports.

Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, promoter Eddie Hearn said the focus should be on Joshua’s wellbeing rather than his career.

“He needs time and privacy right now,” Hearn said. “There will be no statements from us about his career, potential fights or anything else. He has to recover both physically and emotionally. There is nothing to discuss at the moment. Let’s leave him alone and pray for him and the families affected by this terrible incident.”

Hearn claims that Joshua has decided to retire from boxing in the aftermath of the tragedy. The boxer’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, was quoted as saying the decision had brought some relief to the family.

“The major thing is that he has retired from boxing,” Adedamola said during a visit to the family home in Sagamu. “Each time he fights, we are emotionally drained. Whenever he is knocked down, it feels like our hearts are coming out of our chests. Now that he has chosen to leave while the ovation is highest, we are happy.”

Asked if Joshua had personally communicated the decision to the family, his uncle replied: “Yes.”

The former two-time world heavyweight champion broke his silence publicly last week after the December 29 crash on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Writing on X, Joshua paid tribute to both men and expressed sympathy for their families.

“Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers,” he wrote. “I didn’t even realise how special they are. I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men. It’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents.”

Meanwhile, UFC welterweight star Kamaru Usman shared, and later deleted, footage of an emotional conversation with Joshua recorded while the boxer was receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the crash. The video was filmed on December 30, a day after the accident, ahead of an MMA event in Lagos.

In the footage, Joshua, lying in a treatment room with bandages around his head and torso, spoke of the loss. “Obviously, two of my close friends passed away,” he said. “It still hasn’t sunk in. It still hasn’t hit me yet.”

The accident involved a black Lexus SUV driven by Adeniyi Kayode, 46, which collided with the rear of a stationary truck carrying soya beans. Joshua, 36, and Kayode escaped without serious injuries.

Kayode appeared before a magistrate’s court in Sagamu on Friday, facing charges including dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without a licence and driving without due care. The case was adjourned until January 20, with bail set at N5m.

Ayodele, a personal trainer known online as “Healthy Mindset,” was a long-time friend of Joshua, dating back to before the boxer’s professional career began. Ghami was a regular presence in Joshua’s camp and had been in his corner for his victory over Jake Paul in Miami on December 19.

Joshua spent New Year’s Eve in hospital before travelling back to the United Kingdom, where funerals for Ghami and Ayodele were held at the London Central Mosque on January 4.