Boxing icon Johnny Nelson has publicly criticized boxer Anthony Joshua, labeling his recent golf buggy stunts as "dangerous, reckless and stupid." The remarks come eight months after Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria that resulted in the deaths of two of his close friends.
Joshua, who is currently on holiday in the Dominican Republic ahead of his anticipated fight with Tyson Fury, shared a video online of himself and friends racing golf buggies. In one instance, Joshua appeared to attempt to climb between two moving vehicles, captioning the clip with "Loser do 100 press-ups."
Nelson expressed his disbelief at Joshua's actions in a statement to Boxing King Media, stating that it "begs belief" that Joshua would post such a video. "I saw it, and I put my head in my hands," Nelson said. "I thought, 'what are you thinking? What are you doing, man?'" He added that while he understands Joshua's desire to live life, the behavior seems to disregard the gravity of his past experience.
"It looked dangerous, it looked reckless," Nelson commented. "And people have looked and thought: 'You know what, this guy must have been through it.' Now people are thinking, 'you're an idiot'. And he's got to think, 'maybe I've got to fall on my sword here. It's a stupid thing I did."
Nelson, speaking from a parental perspective, emphasized the irresponsibility of the stunts. "I thought like a parent; I thought: "I hope your old man has a word with you, I hope your mum cusses you out. I just hope they have a strong word with you, because that was reckless, irresponsible and dangerous."
Joshua was reportedly devastated by the loss of his friends Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele in December, after the trio were involved in the fatal car crash near Lagos. The boxer himself sustained "minor injuries" after being pulled from the wreckage. The accident occurred on one of Nigeria's busier roads when Joshua's SUV collided with a stationary truck.
Following the incident, Joshua has spoken openly about his grief. In late July, during his first fight back against Kristian Prenga, he became emotional in his post-fight interview, dedicating his win to his late friends. He had also worn pennants bearing their names during the fight and later added tattoos of "LATZ" and "SINA" to his bicep, near an outline of Africa.
In a February Instagram video, Joshua reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the families of his friends, stating his goal was to help them achieve their aspirations. He acknowledged the widespread support received from fans and vowed to honor his friends' legacies.
The golf buggy video surfaced shortly after reports indicated that Joshua and Tyson Fury had signed contracts for a fight scheduled for November 20 in New York. While Fury teased an imminent announcement, promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that further work is required to finalize the deal, including discussions about the fight's location, which Joshua's contract initially stipulated must be in Britain.