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If you’re reading this, you’ve already seen the title, so let’s get that part out of the way right away: Whether or not Anthony Joshua Never fight again. In fact, nothing is more important than this.
On Monday, the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world Was a passenger in a car accident in Nigeria.Joshua, 36, Survived with only minor injuries But he was visibly dizzy and in pain before being taken to hospital. Along with this surprising, alarming news came something more serious: rumors of two deaths, and as the day unfolded, the rumors took a tragic turn and became reality.
To make matters worse for Joshua, Two of the victims were his teammates.. Not only that, they are his friends – his strength coach of more than ten years, Sina Ghami and His personal trainer Latif “Lazi” Ayodele.
Monday’s events would not have been so tragic if those who lost their lives were not known. boxing What the world or Joshua didn’t know. Again, there’s one sentiment that’s naturally difficult to express, but one that “AJ” would be the first to recognize: Technically, Monday’s news wouldn’t be any more tragic if Joshua himself was involved; yes, his body weighs more than most, but his life does not.
Still, sports fans know all too well how the sports world can freeze in the face of something so horrific. This was the case, for example, when Kobe Bryant and his daughter died in a helicopter crash in 2020, and when Diogo Jota and his brother died in a car crash this summer. But just as it feels morbid to speculate on the actual details of Monday’s events as information leaks out, it would be wrong to speculate on the what-ifs of another lifetime.
One cannot help but think about how much life Gami and Ayodele, both 36, have left. Again, the impact of this disaster has not been magnified by their success, but Gami and Ayodele have risen to the top of their fields and earned the right to enjoy the fruits of their labor. On December 29, 2025, these fruits were scattered somewhere on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The boxing community is now openly mourning Gami and Ayodele, and rightly so. Privately, their families will be tasked with processing a cruel, incomprehensible loss. Then there’s Joshua, who is also facing the battle of his life.
The Briton was an Olympic gold medalist and world champion, and stadiums were packed with stunned crowds to watch him engage in gladiatorial clashes with his destroyer contemporaries. To a large extent, Joshua has crushed those powerful forces. But Wladimir Klitschko and Daniel DuBois don’t hit as hard as removing emotional and psychological barriers like grief, trauma, or survivor’s guilt.
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These are the opponents Joshua could face in the coming months. You might have forgotten about your plans to return to the ring in February. You might as well forget about the 2026 fight with Tyson Fury. Indeed, it is conceivable that Joshua may decide not to fight again. It doesn’t matter.
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Just a week and a half ago, AJ in the ring with Jake Paul Beating influencers over six rounds in the most watched competition of the year, In the end, the American’s jaw was broken in two places.. Under stage lights, in front of flashing cellphones and Netflix cameras, Joshua ended up delivering a beating in Florida’s great party city of Miami. The punctuation mark, the punch that knocked Paul down for good, also put an end to some boring pregame questions like, “Will this fight be rigged?”
However, one question that continues to be asked is: “How much money do they make?” To be fair, the question is understandable; it’s inherent in human nature. But that’s only understandable because it doesn’t matter now. All pre- and post-game debates and questions are irrelevant. Controversy over a carnival fight has been washed away in the cold wave of Monday’s tragedy.
Either way, when the dust settles on this week’s sudden and tragic accident, Joshua may have a broader perspective on the accident and his career than most people think.
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After Monday’s car accident, Boxing King Media shared an interview with the fighter earlier this year. Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Joshua looked back and said cogently: “With the death stuff, I just focus on life… Believe it or not, all this stuff out here is a big distraction.
“In the grand scheme of things, everything I pursue, everything I want to have, everything that makes me feel connected to this world is not that important because I can’t take it away. This is what is destined: death. Isn’t it crazy how quickly life can go by? We all will grow old one day, and the most important thing is living it to the best of our ability.
“I went to visit my grandad the other day, who is very old now, and I just thought: ‘The most important thing to him is probably who is going to take care of him in his old age, because he can’t really take care of himself anymore.’ What’s maddening is that at one stage in his life, going to work was the most important thing. Now, he’s nothing to that because he’s so old. The work-life relationship is nothing to him.”
In fact, after his defeat by Dubois, Joshua shut down certain businesses last year and kept his inner circle tighter. These decisions were made for the success of his boxing career. Given his Nigerian roots, he visited the country over Christmas for his family.
One can’t help but think that now – as a father, son and friend – Joshua’s thoughts will be anywhere but in the ring. That might be the best thing for him. What more can be said?