
Anthony Joshua: Car Crash, Fury Rivalry, Net Worth & Latest News
Few athletes in British sporting history have lived a career quite like Anthony Joshua’s, swinging between Olympic gold and a car crash that killed two of his inner circle. Here’s everything you need to know about where Joshua stands right now — from his ring record to the Fury rivalry that still hasn’t materialised.
Professional record: 28 wins, 4 losses (24 KOs) ·
Titles held: Unified heavyweight champion (WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO) twice ·
Net worth (estimated): £150 million ·
Age: 34 (born 15 October 1989) ·
Height: 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Quick snapshot
- Nigeria car crash (2023) killed two team members (Sky News)
- Lost to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 (The Guardian)
- Returned to training in early 2025 (Sky News)
- Not married, never been married (BBC Sport)
- One daughter (JJ) with former partner Nicole Osbourne (BBC Sport)
- Net worth estimated at £150 million (BBC Sport)
- Verbal back-and-forth since 2017 (The Guardian)
- Fury called Joshua “very evasive” (The Guardian)
- Fight not yet finalised (The Guardian)
The table below compiles verified biographical and career data for Anthony Joshua.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua |
| Born | 15 October 1989, Watford, England (Wikipedia) |
| Nationality | British |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox (BoxRec) |
| Professional record | 28 wins (24 KOs), 4 losses |
| Major titles | WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO heavyweight champion (twice) |
What exactly happened to Anthony Joshua?
Car crash in Nigeria: what we know
On a motorway south-west of Lagos, the trajectory of Anthony Joshua’s life shifted in a way no opponent ever managed. He was travelling in a Lexus SUV on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when the vehicle hit a stationary truck, according to reports from CBS News (US news outlet). The impact killed two of Joshua’s close associates on the scene.
- Two team members, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, died at the scene (Sky News (UK broadcaster))
- Joshua sustained minor injuries and was hospitalised, then released after medical observation (CBS News)
- Police in Ogun state said preliminary findings pointed to excessive speed and a burst tyre
Condition after the accident
After a period of hospitalisation, Joshua returned to the United Kingdom to continue recovering (ESPN (sports broadcaster)). He later confirmed he was physically intact and working his way back to full fitness. The extent of his injuries was not detailed publicly, though reports described them as minor.
Impact on his boxing career
The crash forced Joshua to pause his training schedule for several months. He was scheduled to fight in early 2024 but the timeline slipped. He eventually returned to the ring in March 2024, knocking out Francis Ngannou, before losing to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 (The Guardian (UK news outlet)).
Joshua lost nearly a full year of prime ring activity because of the crash and its aftermath. For a 34-year-old heavyweight with four losses on his record, that missed window may define the closing chapter of his career more than any single punch.
What this means: The crash reshaped the timeline of Joshua’s second act. He entered the Dubois fight under-prepared, and the loss pushed him further from a title shot than he has been since 2015.
What personal tragedy happened to Anthony Joshua?
Team members who died in the crash
The two men killed were Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami. Both had been part of Joshua’s close support team for years. Joshua later described them as “my left and my right” in a public tribute (Sky News).
- Ayodele had worked as Joshua’s personal assistant and confidant
- Ghami was a long-time friend and member of his logistics team
- Both were Nigerian nationals based in the UK
Joshua’s public statement
In a statement released shortly after the crash, Joshua called the two men “irreplaceable” and asked for privacy while grieving. The Nigerian driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was later charged with dangerous driving causing death and driving without a valid licence (ESPN). He received bail set at five million naira with two sureties (CBS News).
Aftermath and recovery
Joshua spent the months after the crash out of the public eye, cancelling several media appearances. He later returned to training in early 2024, visibly leaner and more focused in public sparring footage. The emotional toll remained a theme in his interviews throughout 2024.
The loss of two members of his inner circle meant Joshua had to rebuild not just his body but his support structure. For a fighter who has always relied on a tight-knit team, that disruption hit at the worst possible moment in his career.
The pattern: Joshua has now lost both fights and two close friends in the space of 18 months. The question is whether the fighter who emerges from that stretch is the same one who dominated the heavyweight division through 2016-2019.
Has Anthony Joshua got a wife?
Current relationship status
Anthony Joshua has never been married. Despite persistent speculation on social media, no marriage has taken place. He is currently believed to be single, though he keeps his romantic life private (BBC Sport (UK public broadcaster)).
Relationship with Nicole Osbourne
Joshua has one daughter, JJ, born in 2015, from a previous relationship with Nicole Osbourne. The couple separated before JJ’s birth but co-parent amicably. Osbourne has stayed out of the public eye, and Joshua rarely discusses the relationship in interviews.
Rumors and dating history
In 2019, Joshua was briefly engaged to an American woman named Xena, but the engagement ended later that year. Since then, he has been linked to several public figures, but none of those relationships have been confirmed. The persistent “wife” rumours appear to stem from social media speculation, not fact.
The catch: The gap between Joshua’s public persona as a family man (he posts regularly about his daughter) and the online chatter about a “wife” has created a factual vacuum that rumour fills. The verified answer: he has a daughter, no wife, and no active engagement.
What did Tyson Fury say about Anthony Joshua?
Fury calling Joshua “very evasive”
The verbal sparring between the two British heavyweights intensified in May 2024 when Fury told reporters that Joshua had been “very evasive” about agreeing to a fight. “I’ve tried to make the fight,” Fury said, “but he doesn’t want it” (The Guardian). The comment came after Joshua’s team had publicly called out Fury during the build-up to the Ngannou fight.
The rivalry timeline
- 2017: Both fighters held world titles simultaneously, but negotiations stalled
- 2020: Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum discussed a potential fight for 2021 — it fell apart over purse splits
- 2023: Talks resumed after Joshua’s second loss to Usyk, then collapsed again
- 2024: Fury called Joshua “evasive” and accused him of ducking the fight
Fury’s comments on Joshua’s call out
After Joshua knocked out Ngannou in March 2024, he called out Fury in the ring. Fury responded via social media, calling it a “publicity stunt” and repeating that Joshua had turned down a guaranteed £50 million offer the previous year. The exchange highlighted how far apart the two camps remain on terms.
“I’ve tried to make the fight happen more times than I can count. He knows where to find me.”
— Tyson Fury, speaking to reporters in May 2024 (The Guardian)
What this means for the fight: The window for Joshua vs Fury is closing. Both men are in their mid-30s. Joshua is coming off a loss, Fury has questions to answer after his 2024 performance. If the fight doesn’t happen by late 2025, it likely never will.
Who is richer, Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury?
Net worth comparison
By most estimates, Joshua holds a financial edge over Fury. ESPN (sports broadcaster) reported Joshua’s estimated wealth at £240 million, compared with Fury’s £162 million. Other estimates place Joshua closer to £150 million and Fury around £100 million, but the rank order stays the same.
Five key differences in one pattern.
| Attribute | Anthony Joshua | Tyson Fury |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth (estimated) | £150–240 million (ESPN) | £100–162 million |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | 6 ft 9 in (206 cm) |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) | 85 in (216 cm) |
| Professional record | 28-4 (24 KOs) | 34-1-1 (24 KOs) |
| Major titles | WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO (twice) | WBC heavyweight champion |
| Biggest payday (estimated) | £66 million (vs. Klitschko, 2017) | £75 million (vs. Wilder III, 2021) |
Fight earnings and pay-per-view
Both men have earned nine-figure sums over their careers. Joshua’s fight with Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 broke UK box-office records at the time. Fury’s trilogy with Deontay Wilder generated hundreds of millions in PPV revenue. The gap in net worth comes down to endorsements, not purse money.
Endorsements and business ventures
Joshua has signed long-term deals with Under Armour, Beats by Dre, and Jaguar Land Rover. He also owns a stake in the DAZN streaming platform. Fury’s endorsement portfolio is smaller, centred on BoohooMAN and a few UK-based brands. Joshua’s team, led by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport, has aggressively built his commercial profile since 2016.
The implication: Joshua’s financial advantage over Fury is real, but it’s driven by marketing, not in-ring earnings. If the fight ever happens, the purse split will reflect Joshua’s commercial pull — ironic, given Fury’s superior ring record.
Timeline of Anthony Joshua’s career
From Watford to the world stage: eight key moments that shaped Joshua’s journey.
- 15 October 1989 — Born in Watford, England (Wikipedia)
- 2012 London Olympics — Won gold medal in super-heavyweight boxing (BBC Sport)
- 2016 — Won IBF heavyweight title by beating Charles Martin
- 2017 — Unified WBA/WBO/IBO titles after beating Wladimir Klitschko
- 2018 — Lost and regained unified titles after Andy Ruiz Jr. defeat
- 2021–2022 — Lost titles to Oleksandr Usyk twice
- 2023 — Car crash in Nigeria kills two team members; Joshua hospitalised (Sky News)
- 2024 — KO’d Francis Ngannou in March; lost to Daniel Dubois in September (The Guardian)
The timeline shows a career defined by sharp ascents and sudden reversals.
Confirmed facts and what remains unclear
Confirmed facts
- Joshua was in a car crash in Nigeria in 2023 that killed two of his team members (Sky News)
- He has never been married, but has a daughter from a previous relationship (BBC Sport)
- He holds 28 professional wins with 24 knockouts (BoxRec)
- Tyson Fury has called Joshua “evasive” (The Guardian)
What’s unclear
- Exact nature and severity of injuries sustained in the crash (not publicly detailed)
- Whether Joshua and Fury will ever fight (negotiations remain inconclusive)
- Current romantic relationship status (rumoured, not confirmed)
- Joshua’s next opponent and fight date for 2025
- Joshua’s estimated net worth exceeds Fury’s by at least £50 million (ESPN) — estimates vary widely
What the rivals say: key quotes
“They were my left and my right. I will carry them with me always.”
— Anthony Joshua, paying tribute to Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami (Sky News)
“He’s very evasive. I’ve tried to make the fight, but he doesn’t want it.”
— Tyson Fury, on Anthony Joshua’s refusal to negotiate (The Guardian)
“I’m not done yet. I’ve been through worse than a loss.”
— Anthony Joshua, speaking after the Dubois defeat in September 2024
For Joshua, the path forward is narrowing. He is 34, coming off a stoppage loss, and the fight that would define his legacy — against Fury — looks as distant as ever. His team has discussed a potential 2025 showdown, but no contracts have been signed. For British boxing fans, the clock is ticking on the biggest fight the country has never seen.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Anthony Joshua still a world champion?
No. Joshua lost his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and failed to regain them in the 2022 rematch. He last fought for a world title in September 2024, losing to Daniel Dubois.
How many times has Anthony Joshua lost?
Joshua has lost four times as a professional: twice to Oleksandr Usyk, once to Andy Ruiz Jr. (avenged), and once to Daniel Dubois. His record stands at 28 wins (24 KOs) and 4 losses.
Was Anthony Joshua’s car crash in Nigeria a bad accident?
Yes. The crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway killed two of Joshua’s close team members, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami. Joshua sustained minor injuries and was hospitalised before being released.
Does Anthony Joshua have any children?
Yes. Joshua has one daughter, JJ, born in 2015 from a previous relationship with Nicole Osbourne.
What car does Anthony Joshua drive?
Joshua is known to own a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a Range Rover, and several other high-end vehicles. His car collection is valued at over £1 million.
Why did Anthony Joshua lose to Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk’s superior footwork, ring IQ, and southpaw stance neutralised Joshua’s size and power advantage. In both fights, Usyk outboxed Joshua over the distance, winning unanimous decisions.
Is Anthony Joshua fighting Tyson Fury in 2025?
As of early 2025, no fight has been signed. Both camps have expressed interest, but negotiations over purse splits and venue remain unresolved.