Anthony Joshua has been branded “reckless, irresponsible and dangerous” by former world champion Johnny Nelson after footage emerged of the heavyweight star performing a risky golf buggy stunt.
Joshua, who is preparing for a potential blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury, shared footage from a holiday in the Dominican Republic showing him racing friends in separate buggies.
At one stage, the 36-year-old appeared to try to move between the two vehicles while they were still travelling alongside one another.
“Loser do 100 press-ups,” Joshua captioned the clip.
But the footage has sparked a furious reaction from Nelson, who admitted he was stunned to see Joshua taking such a risk just eight months after surviving the horrific car crash that claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Joshua was travelling in an SUV on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Nigeria last December when the vehicle collided with a stationary truck.
Ghami and Ayodele were killed, while Joshua escaped with what were described as minor injuries.
Nelson believes those circumstances make the latest footage particularly difficult to understand.
Anthony Joshua has been branded “reckless, irresponsible and dangerous” by former world champion Johnny Nelson after footage emerged of the heavyweight star performing a risky golf buggy stunt
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INSTAGRAM/ANTHONY JOSHUA
“I saw it, and I put my head in my hands,” Nelson told Boxing King Media. “I thought, ‘what are you thinking? What are you doing, man?’
“I know you’re young, I know you want to live life, but to understand what’s just happened to you…”
Nelson compared his reaction to that of a concerned parent and insisted Joshua should never have put himself in such a position, regardless of whether the footage was eventually shared online.
“It looked dangerous, it looked reckless,” he continued.
JOHNNY NELSON NOT IMPRESSED WITH AJ POST…
In our latest episode of the uncomfortable truth, @SkyJohnnyNelson steps in to give his opinion on a video Anthony Joshua posted last night.
Watch full episode here pic.twitter.com/M5RinyUTUG
— Boxing King Media (@boxingkingmedia) August 19, 2026
“And people have looked and thought: ‘You know what, this guy must have been through it.’ Now people are thinking, ‘you’re an idiot’.
“Post it or not, it was just a stupid thing to do. It had danger written all over it, you can see the worst-case scenario.”
Nelson added: “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.
“After everything that’s happened, to do something like that, it begs belief.”
Joshua has spoken emotionally about the devastating impact of losing Ghami and Ayodele.
He broke down after returning to the ring against Kristian Prenga in July, having entered wearing his friends’ names on pennants attached to his chest.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” an emotional Joshua said during his post-fight interview.
Anthony Joshua is currently preparing for a blockbuster bout with Tyson Fury
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GETTYHe has also added “LATZ” and “SINA” to the outline of Africa tattooed on his bicep and previously vowed to support their families and preserve their legacies.
The controversy comes at a significant moment in Joshua’s career, with negotiations intensifying over the long-awaited Battle of Britain against Fury.
Fury fuelled anticipation on Tuesday by declaring: “Big news being dropped very, very soon. A big fight on the horizon. It’s the one you’ve all been waiting for.”
November 20 and New York’s Madison Square Garden have emerged as the proposed date and venue for the heavyweight spectacular.
However, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has maintained that further negotiations are required, with contractual issues surrounding the location still to be resolved.
Hearn wants the bout to take place in the UK, though whether that happens remains to be seen.
