John Fury was among the prominent figures who reached out to offer condolences to Anthony Joshua after he lost close friends and team members Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. The former heavyweight champion was involved in a road accident in Nigeria that tragically claimed the lives of his associates. Days later, while the boxing world mourns and continues to debate Joshua’s potential comeback, Fury once again reached out with a piece of advice.

Fury’s alarm drew on reports revealing a post-accident investigation carried out by Nigerian authorities. They charged the driver of the vehicle that carried Joshua, Ghami, and Ayodele for multiple offenses, including driving without a driving license. Despite the rivalry between Joshua and his son Tyson Fury, John Fury said traveling with people you don’t know is a serious risk—one he would never allow his son to take.

John Fury advises Joshua to be careful

Like most, John Fury was also much relieved to see Anthony Joshua survive the accident. The former champion narrowly escaped with injuries. After a brief treatment in a Lagos hospital, he returned to the UK. To John Fury and many, it is a sheer miracle that AJ survived the ordeal.

What bothered him, though, were the details that subsequently emerged. Besides the absence of a valid driving license, the Nigerian police arrested the driver for “driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm and damage to property.”

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Weighing in, Fury said, “It’s blood-curdling to think that an accident could take place like that, you know. Now it’s coming out that people haven’t got driving licenses.” According to Fury, Joshua needs people with proper credentials around him. He wouldn’t have allowed his sons to travel in a similar situation where a person doesn’t even have a valid driving license. “If that was my son, I’d forbid him to be around anybody like that,” Fury added.

Given where he stands, Fury concluded, Joshua should ensure the people around him are properly checked and verified.

Joshua’s well-being ahead of his potential comeback

Saying so, John Fury wondered where the accident and the trauma it caused would lead Anthony Joshua. “You know, you’ve got to be switched on; life’s so fragile. You’re blinking, and it’s over, you know, but with a shock like that, what he’s been through, I don’t know where he’s going to be for quite some time, because it’s a traumatization you’re looking at there,” he said.

While his physical wounds may heal, for Joshua it is the emotional toll that will be hardest to bear. Both Ghami and Ayodele had been part of his camp for years, and it will be difficult to put those memories aside.

The accident occurred just days after Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in a high-stakes match in Miami. The win inched him closer to a potential matchup against Tyson Fury. But given the severity of the accident, doubts linger over his comeback.

His promoter, Eddie Hearn, stressed Joshua would share details about his next move when he is ready. What is more important right now, Hearn explained, is the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of Joshua.