Two Canadians were among four young people who died in Dubai over the weekend, including Toronto-area boxer Cody Nixon, who posted a photo of himself posing with a Ferrari on Instagram right before his death.
"Picked up the Ferrari! Don't worry I won't speed ;),” Nixon wrote below the photo of the yellow Ferrari 458 Spider.
Friends told CTV Toronto that Nixon was killed when the vehicle struck a lamppost, at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday.
James Portuondo, 27, was the other Canadian who died, according to his sister.
It is believed the two were cousins.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press said two Boston university students were also killed in a crash in Dubai: Victoria McGrath and Priscilla Perez Torres. McGrath was known for having been injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Police told local media that the impact of the crash ripped the vehicle in half and flung the occupants onto the street.
Few details are known about Portuondo.
A friend and fellow boxer said Nixon had his sights set on going pro.
The friend, Brock Arthur, told CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney that Nixon had a "zest for life" and brought a "good energy" to the gym.
Arthur said Nixon also loved to travel, and shared his adventures on his Instagram account.
The boxer had previously posted photos from destinations around the world, including one of him skydiving in Aruba two weeks ago. Another photo, posted around the same time, shows that Nixon spent three weeks in Mykonos, Greece.
"Follow my journey around the world!" he wrote.
Josh Morris, who was friends with Nixon, told CTVNews.ca that the boxer was "very kind and a very positive person" who would do anything for anyone.
"He was just a great person."
Mike Power, who coached Nixon when he was a teenager at Motor City Boxing Club in Durham, remembered him as a hard worker with a positive attitude.
“He was unpredictable,” Power told CTV News Channel. “You never knew what goofy thing he was going to say or do. He always kept us coaches on our toes.”
Nixon said that the members of the club who knew Nixon “worked a little harder tonight in honour of Cody.”
A spokesperson with Global Affairs Canada confirmed to that two of the car's three occupants were Canadian citizens, but would not confirm the identities of the victims.
"Canadian consular officials in the United Arab Emirates are in contact with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the families," spokesperson Diana Khaddaj said in a statement.
"To protect the privacy of the individuals concerned, further details on this case cannot be released."
