A sombre and sobering end to the year – Bunce on fatal crash

When I learned that Anthony Joshua had been involved in a car accident that left two men dead, I was absolutely shocked.

I called some people after they were broadcast as breaking news on BBC World, but it turns out that one of the deceased men was a member of his team.

AJ always travels with his team’s close friends. There are four or five of them, and any of them is possible.

Just ten days ago, I spent time with them all in Miami. Both Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, both dead men, were present for Jake Paul’s fight. It breaks my heart.

These weren’t either of his team’s casual members. There was more to their relationship with AJ than just close friends, which were essential to his backroom team.

Ghami, who runs a gym in London, is well-known for about ten years. As his strength and conditioning coach, he made a significant contribution to the team.

Ayodele has been in existence for an even longer time. He was a friend who regularly trained with the former world heavyweight champion.

There is no news about AJ’s status from the hospital overnight, despite speaking with one of his management team on Tuesday morning.

The boxing world has had a fantastic response. It does a lot of serious work very well. The banter or ridiculous face-offs are just some examples of the trivial stuff that gets messed up. The industry is very good when it comes to serious matters.

Jake Paul, who AJ defeated earlier this month, wrote a fantastic note on social media saying that boxing does not count at times like this. Other people have written messages that are just as thoughtful.

They are concerned about how close he was to both Ghami and Ayodele, which they all know. That is the subject of industry discussion and reflection.

AJ was scheduled to face Tyson Fury in a March fight, which was of course followed by a planned showdown with Tyson Fury.

Ten days ago, his promoter Eddie Hearn told me that negotiations for the upcoming fight with Fury were at a point where they had never before been, and that was so close to the fight being announced.

All of that has now vanished. All of that has been abandoned.

When the fatal crash occurred, AJ was inside the car and was close to those two men.

I have no idea what he must be going through. My head cannot comprehend it because it is so complex.

Most of us have known a loved one who passed away. We may have had them hold our hand, give them a kiss on the head, or leave them in their final moments. I have no idea what AJ’s mental state will be because of that.

Right now, I’m sure he needs a lot of love, care, and attention.

However, he is adored by many people in Nigeria and the rest of the world.