Fellow boxer Chris Eubank Jr was among those to pay tribute to Ghami and Ayodele, calling them “genuinely good men”.

The British middleweight said:, external “Thank god our heavyweight champ survived that horrible car crash. And pray for the two fallen soldiers Latz & Sina & their families. I knew both, they were genuinely good men. Rest in Peace boys.”

Joshua was in Nigeria after stopping American YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in the sixth round of their heavyweight bout in Miami earlier this month.

Writing on X,, external Paul said: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Former New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams posted pictures with Joshua and Latif,, external adding: “Rest easy brother Abdul Latif, may the most high make it easy for your loved ones.”

British bantamweight Shannon Courtenay said:, external “RIP Sina and Latz, two good guys. Last week we’re all having fun in Miami and today you’re gone, life really is too short. May the Lord look over their loved ones during this awful time.”

Video from the scene showed Joshua being helped out from the back seat of a wrecked large car.

Five adult men were involved in the crash in total, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said.

They added that Joshua and another man – the vehicle’s driver – were rescued by the boxer’s security team.

The incident involved two vehicles, a black Lexus and a stationary red commercial truck, and took place on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

The FRSC said the Lexus was “suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit”, based on preliminary findings.

It said the car appeared to have “lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre” and crashed into the stationary truck by the side of the road.