Deontay Wilder connects with Anthony Joshua through shared pain after tragic car crash claims lives of close friends

Deontay Wilder did not talk about boxing first when he met reporters in London. Instead, he spoke about pain. Real pain. While sending support to long-time rival Anthony Joshua, Wilder opened up about his own family tragedy linked to a car crash. His words came just days after Joshua lost two close friends in a deadly motorway accident in Nigeria on December 29. Anthony Joshua survived the crash but lost Kevin Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, two people who were part of his everyday life. The loss has shaken him deeply. Wilder, who was in London to promote his April 4 fight, said he understood that pain too well. As he spoke, his emotions showed, his voice slowed and his words became heavy.

This was not about rivalry or past fight talks. It was about loss, memory, and how hard it is to move forward after something sudden and violent. Wilder said grief never leaves you. It just waits for quiet moments to return. That is what he saw in Anthony Joshua’s situation, and it is why he chose to speak with honesty instead of hype.

Deontay Wilder opens up about personal loss while supporting Anthony Joshua after Nigeria crash tragedy

Deontay Wilder explained that losing someone in a car crash stays with you forever. Speaking to SunSport, he said, “It’s always sad when you lose someone, especially someone that’s close to you. It’s heartbreaking on how it happened, this situation.”

He then shared his own memory. “I don’t even like to think about it. I lost loved ones, I had a cousin who was in a car accident and it was so bad he got his head chopped off in the accident, I understand certain things. I totally understand.”

As he spoke, Wilder admitted the memories still hurt. “I’m stumbling because you’re making me reminisce. They say, ‘Never bring up the past because you bring up old feelings.’”

He said Joshua’s pain is still fresh. “I can understand how fresh it is. Many nights you can have nightmares, seeing it over and over again.”

Wilder believes healing will take time. “At the end of the day, a tragedy is a tragedy especially when you’re dealing with someone you love and someone you’re close to. He’s probably going to need a lot of therapy if he’s not seeing one now. It’s going to be tough. My prayers and thoughts go out to him.”

Anthony Joshua later flew back to attend the funerals and has shared tributes online. His boxing future is unclear, but promoter Eddie Hearn has said he expects Joshua to fight again in their memory.

Wilder said he remains open to a future bout if Joshua returns. “When you’ve done everything in your power to make a fight happen, you don’t have no regrets,” he said.

Deontay Wilder’s own career has been uneven lately, with losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang before a comeback win last June. Now, he faces Derek Chisora on April 4. Aware of what is at stake, Deontay Wilder said, “This is no pressure for me because pressure breaks pipes but it also makes diamonds. With this pressure I’m looking to be a beautiful diamond when it’s over with.”

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