Anthony Joshua says he is not yet ready to let the death of two close friends "sink in" as he prepares for his first fight since the tragedy. Joshua's long-time rehabilitation coach Sina Ghami and personal trainer Latif "Latz" Ayodele died when the vehicle carrying them, Joshua and another passenger collided with a stationary truck near Lagos, Nigeria, on 29 December 2025; Joshua himself sustained only minor injuries. He returns to the ring against Kristian Prenga on Saturday, his first bout since knocking out Jake Paul just ten days before the crash, and admitted he keeps his mind occupied to cope with the loss.

Ghami had worked with Joshua for more than a decade, while Ayodele appeared in an Instagram video with the boxer just hours before the crash. The Prenga fight, in Jeddah, will be Joshua's first competitive contest since his knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September 2024, and he admits to feeling nervous ahead of his comeback. Speculation continues over a long-mooted "Battle of Britain" clash with Tyson Fury, who fights Mariusz Wach in Thailand the night before, with Joshua saying a face-off could come within the next four to six weeks if results go to plan.