Anthony Joshua could walk away from boxing following the fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.

Hearn said there are no guarantees the former heavyweight champion will return to the ring as he continues to recover physically and emotionally from the December accident in Ogun State.

Naija News reports that Joshua had travelled to Nigeria to visit family after stopping Jake Paul with a single punch in his previous bout. However, tragedy struck on 29 December 2025 when the vehicle he was travelling in collided with a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Sina Ghami, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, one of his trainers, died in the crash. Joshua survived and was taken to hospital for treatment before later returning to the United Kingdom. He subsequently attended the burial ceremonies of both men.

Speaking to First Round TV, Hearn admitted Joshua’s future in the sport remains unclear.

“I don’t think there is any guarantees he fights again, but at the same time, I expect him to because it’s something that he loves. It’s something he can carry those guys with him, though as well, and it’s something he wants to do,” Hearn said.

He added that the impact of the crash went beyond emotional trauma.

“From a boxing sense, physically, it wasn’t easy what he went through either. People probably don’t realise the extent of what he’s been through. He’s been training, but he’s not ready yet, and he won’t be for a while to return to boxing training,” the boxing promoter noted.

Hearn disclosed that Joshua had been preparing for a March fight, with a potential bout against fellow Briton Tyson Fury under consideration. Those plans have now been shelved.

“We were gearing up for him to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury. Obviously, that’s not going to happen now. I don’t know if it will ever happen. In the next few months, he will turn up the dial on training and see where he is at on that,” Hearn said.

Fury is scheduled to return to action in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov after more than a year out of the ring.

Meanwhile, Joshua has paid tribute to his late friends by tattooing their names on his body. London-based studio Fulham Tattoo shared images of the artwork on Instagram, stating that the two-time world champion made an unannounced visit for his first session at the studio.

“Huge thank you to two-time heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua for unexpectedly and unannounced walking through the door a few weeks ago for his first visit with us at Fulham Tattoo London … what a walk in,” the post read.

Joshua has yet to make a public statement about his boxing future.