* Nigerian and British communities unite to mourn late boxing champion’s associates
London stood still on Sunday as sympathizers gathered at the London Central Mosque, Regent’s Park, for the Janazah (funeral) prayers of Sina Ghami and Abdul Latif Kevin “Latz” Ayodele, close associates and friends of British heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, who died in a tragic road accident in Nigeria.
The solemn prayer service, held at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 4, 2026, drew family members, friends, members of the Nigerian and British Muslim communities, and well-wishers who came to pay their final respects to the deceased.
Muslim News gathered that the atmosphere inside and around the mosque reflected deep grief, quiet reflection, and collective mourning. 
Despite his own pain, Anthony Joshua was present at the mosque, standing with visible composure as he personally received sympathizers, accepted condolences, and expressed gratitude to those who came to honour his friends.
Many attendees described his presence as a powerful display of dignity, patience, and strength in the face of overwhelming loss. 
Ghami and Ayodele died on Monday, December 29, 2025, in a fatal road crash in Makun, along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Joshua was reportedly travelling with them in an SUV when the vehicle crashed into a stationary truck. While the boxer sustained minor injuries, the two men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Speaking earlier, Adedamola Joshua, an uncle of the boxer, said the family was still grappling with the shock and trauma of the incident. He noted that news of the accident did not reach them immediately through social media but later via a phone call, raising concerns about emergency response, crowd behaviour at accident scenes, and broader issues of road safety in Nigeria.
According to the family, Joshua had only arrived in Nigeria a few hours before the accident and was en route to Sagamu to spend time with relatives when the tragedy occurred.
The Janazah prayer was marked by Qur’an recitations and supplications for Allah’s mercy upon the deceased, with scholars reminding mourners of the fleeting nature of life and the need for patience in times of calamity.
The deaths of Ghami and Ayodele have also renewed public conversations about the dangers of Nigerian highways, particularly the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, where accidents involving stationary trucks and poor safety measures remain a recurring concern.
Joshua, who recently returned to the ring with a high profile victory over Jake Paul in a bout titled Judgment Day on December 19, 2025, in Miami, has since maintained a low public profile, focusing on mourning his friends and supporting their families.
As the prayers concluded, sympathizers slowly dispersed from the mosque, united in grief and prayer, remembering two lives lost too soon and a tragedy that has left lasting scars on families, friends, and a global sporting icon.
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