Deontay Wilder shared some words of encouragement to Anthony Joshua after the British-Nigerian boxer survived a car crash that took the lives of two of his close friends.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Joshua, 36, was riding in a Lexus SUV with his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele on an expressway in Ogun State, Nigeria, on December 29 when the vehicle collided with a stationary truck. Joshua, who was born to Nigerian parents in England, got injured. But Ghami and Ayodele did not survive.
Speaking with BBC Sport, Wilder, 40, urged Joshua “to stay strong,” adding that he was praying for his fellow heavyweight boxer.
“In this boxing business we all are family,” the American boxer said. “So from another brother to another brother – stay encouraged, Anthony Joshua. Keep your head up, Anthony Joshua. Stay prayed up, bro, because you’ve still got life.”
Wilder’s cousin died in a car crash, and the 40-year-old former heavyweight champion said that Joshua’s situation resurrected “old feelings” from his family member’s demise.
“It’s tough to find the words to tell a person, but know that you are in our prayers,” Wilder said in his message to his heavyweight rival. “My words may not mean anything in this moment in time. Maybe later on.
“I don’t know where he is mentally, emotionally, physically or spiritually, but I know that I will advise him to stay strong.”
Though Wilder and Joshua are rivals, the pair have not had the chance to face off in the ring. Efforts to have the former heavyweight champions fight in an undisputed title event did not materialize in 2018, BBC reported. At the time, Wilder was the WBC champion, while Joshua held the WBA, WBO and IBF belts.
Wilder is currently preparing for his April 4 fight against Derek Chisora, the 42-year-old British-Zimbabwean boxer. The fight will take place in London.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Wilder touched on his personal life issues and how it negatively affected his mental health. The 40-year-old, however, said that he still has the “fire” in him.
“After two therapists and sports psychologists, here I am reinventing myself, reuniting myself. I know I’m back,” Wilder said.
Deontay Wilder has a message of encouragement for fellow heavyweight Anthony Joshua, after the latter suffered minor injuries in a road traffic accident that killed two of his friends in Nigeria in December. pic.twitter.com/2lXBI6jCAu
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 5, 2026
