Anthony Joshua pays tribute to friends Senna Gami and Latif Ayodele

Anthony Joshua has paid tribute to his close friends Senna Gami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria, saying he is “finding it difficult” to process their deaths.

Gami and Ayodele died when the car they were traveling in, along with heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a main road near Lagos.

Joshua suffered minor injuries in the accident before returning to his country in the United Kingdom and attending the funeral at a mosque in London on Sunday.

“Thank you for all the love and care you have shown my brothers,” Joshua wrote on Instagram on Thursday., external.

“I didn’t even realize how special they were. I would walk with them and tell jokes with them, without even knowing that God kept me in the presence of great men.

“It’s 100% hard for me, but I know it’s harder for their parents. I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers.”

Gami was Joshua’s full-time sports and exercise rehabilitation coach and worked with him for over 10 years.

Hours before the incident, Joshua posted a video on Instagram playing table tennis with his old friend Ayodele, a personal trainer.

On Sunday, Joshua posted two photos on Instagram, one showing him sitting next to his mother and family members of the victims including Gami and Ayodele’s parents, and the other with him holding a photo of Gami.

The driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged in a Sagamu court on Friday. Police sources told the BBC that the charges included causing death by dangerous driving.

The defendant was granted bail of 5 million naira (£2,578) and was remanded in custody until his bail conditions were met. The case was postponed until next January 20.

Born in Watford, Joshua has family roots in Sagamu, a town in Ogun State, near the site of the accident.

A family member told the BBC that the 2012 Olympic champion was on his way to visit relatives to celebrate the New Year in the city at the time of the accident.

The boxer has been spending some time in Nigeria following his recent win over American YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, on December 19.

UFC fighter Kamaru Usman apologized on Thursday after a video of his private video call with Joshua in hospital went viral online, saying he “takes full responsibility” for posting the clip to YouTube without properly verifying the full video.