Luke Littler Honors Anthony Joshua's Late Friends in Heartfelt Tribute Following World Darts Championship Victory

LUKE LITTLER honored Anthony Joshua and the boxer's two late friends who tragically lost their lives in a car accident.

This incident claimed the lives of personal trainer and childhood friend Latif Ayodele, along with conditioning coach Sina Ghami.

AJ survived the accident and attended the funeral of his friends, whose remains were also returned home.

Littler paid homage to Joshua and his fallen friends by quoting the heavyweight champion.

He stated after his victory, “Everyone knows what happened with Anthony Joshua and his team. Rest in peace to his friends, just like AJ said… the first time was so nice, I had to do it twice.”

Joshua, 36, famously used this phrase after defeating Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 to reclaim his world title.

Littler dropped to his knees and wept as he clinched his second World Championship.

He remarked, “I wasn’t pleased going into the break 1-0 down, but I had to push forward from there.

“I told myself to just give it time, and I would find my rhythm. Everything went according to plan. Gian, what a tournament; he should be very proud of himself.”

“For me, I was getting closer and closer, but you can't dwell on it too much. The trophy is right next to you on stage, but you have to keep pushing forward.”

Littler, whose career earnings will now exceed £3 million, commented, “This is life-changing. Even for this tournament, the first round was doubled.

“This victory has widened the gap between me and Luke Humphries, and I’m now firmly in the lead for No. 1.”

Littler is the first player to win consecutive World Titles since Gary Anderson a decade ago.

He could anticipate another decade of competition with Van Veen, 23.

Littler expressed, “We are always going to have our battles. The Pro Tour, Euro Tour, and majors.

“Perhaps we will meet again in the final in 2027! We will face each other many times, and he knows he’s in the Premier League, so we will compete week in and week out.”

Van Veen added, “With the two of us, along with Josh Rock and Wessel Nijman, the younger generation is here.

“We are aiming to take over. Even Luke Humphries is a young player. This game is for the younger competitors, and we are here to demonstrate how it’s done.”