A private FaceTime conversation between Kamaru Usman and Anthony Joshua unexpectedly went live, stirring up quite a controversy.
The moment surfaced in a YouTube video uploaded by Usman, who was documenting preparations for an AKO MMA event in Lagos, Nigeria. Usman serves as president of the promotion and was followed by cameras throughout the day.
Included in the footage was a FaceTime call with Joshua, recorded shortly after the boxer survived a serious car accident near Lagos that claimed the lives of two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Joshua has largely remained silent publicly since the crash, posting only a brief message on social media. The FaceTime clip, however, captured him speaking candidly about the incident.
“Two of my close friends passed away,” Joshua said in the video. “One was in the front, and one was behind him. On the right side, they both passed away. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. Life is short, man.”
Usman, visibly emotional during the exchange, responded by telling Joshua, “Thank God. I’m telling you, you scared the world,” adding that the situation was “a funny way of moving things.”
Roughly 17 hours after the video went live, the FaceTime segment was removed. By then, viewers had already clipped and reposted the conversation on X, where it spread rapidly.
The footage showed Joshua seated in what appeared to be a treatment room, with bandages visible on his head and torso as he spoke.
Following backlash from fans who felt the call should have remained private, Usman issued a public apology. “After seeing what’s being written it’s quite heartbreaking,” he wrote. “I take full responsibility for not properly watching the video that was released and keeping my private conversation with my brother AJ private. SMH. Big L on me. That’s not something I would ever do to a friend/brother.”
Joshua was a passenger in a Lexus SUV when it collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway. Ghami and Ayodele were later laid to rest in London following funeral services held at a mosque.