Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman issues apology after leaked video with Anthony Joshua

The video captured an emotional exchange in which Joshua spoke about the deaths of two of his close friends following a fatal car crash. The call was later shared on YouTube as part of content posted by Usman.

The conversation took place while Joshua was recovering from injuries sustained in the accident and ahead of an MMA event held in Lagos on December 30. The boxer had been involved in a crash on December 29 along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which claimed the lives of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

Joshua was pulled from the wreckage and taken to Duchess International Hospital, where he received medical treatment before later returning to the United Kingdom.

Footage from the video showed Joshua lying in a treatment room with bandages wrapped around his head and torso as he spoke openly about the tragedy. He admitted that the weight of the loss had not fully registered.

During the conversation, Usman asked whether Ghami and Ayodele had been seated at the front of the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Joshua replied, “One was in the front and one was behind him, on the right side. They both passed away. It still hasn’t sunk in. It still hasn’t hit me yet.”

“I’m sorry for that, man. You scared the world, I’ll tell you that right now,” Usman responded.

“Life is short, man. Life is short. And now look, I get to speak with you for the first time,” Joshua said.

“I know. It’s a funny way how things move, you know? We thank God,” Usman replied.

“You scared the world. It’s crazy because, obviously, we deal with the haters and all the bull**** every time, and it sucks that it takes something serious like this to really see how many people have their eyes on you,” Usman added.

The video sparked backlash online after a short clip from the call circulated on social media.

Responding to the criticism in a post shared on his Instagram story on Thursday, Usman apologised for allowing the private conversation to be made public.

He wrote, “After seeing what’s being written, it’s quite heartbreaking. Being on camera that whole day in preparation for The AKO Show, it completely slipped my mind that my conversation was recorded.

“I realised afterwards and asked about it. I take full responsibility for not properly reviewing the video that was released and for failing to keep my private conversation with my brother AJ private. SMH. Big L on me. That’s not something I would ever do to a friend or brother.”