Boxing star Anthony Joshua was taken to hospital on Monday after being rescued from the wreckage of a car crash in Nigeria that killed two men traveling with him.
The former British two-time heavyweight world champion, aged 36, was seen being pulled from a mangled SUV on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway but suffered only minor injuries.
An advertisement
Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents, and where he went to boarding school briefly at the age of 11. He was in the country on holiday while recovering from his recent fight against Jake Paul.
Ogun state government officials said the two victims were “foreign nationals” and died on the spot.
Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps said the crash involved a Lexus SUV in which Joshua was a passenger, and a “stationary, red commercial Sinotruck”.
“A total of five adult men were involved in the crash,” she said. “Two people unfortunately lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unharmed. Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and suffered minor injuries.
An advertisement
“The injured victim was evacuated for medical attention, while the remains of the deceased were sent to Livewell Morgue, Ajaka, Sagamu.”
Speeding was initially blamed for the crash, but the Ogun state police commissioner, Lanre Ogunlowo, later told ESPN that the boxer’s SUV had suffered a burst tire that caused the driver to lose control and “spin into the truck parked along the road.”
Anthony Joshua in a video after the accident (Adeniyi Orojo)
Footage of the aftermath of the incident showed Joshua sitting in his car, which appeared to be heavily damaged, looking crumpled and in pain. More footage showed Joshua out of the vehicle and still crying.
An advertisement
Joshua’s safety team, who was traveling directly behind him in a Mitsubishi Pajero, reportedly avoided the collision
A representative for Joshua said The Independent that the team of the former world champion based in the United Kingdom was investigating.
The crash came just 10 days after Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a fight in Miami.
The Brit defeated Paul in six rounds in his first fight since a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. It was his 29th win from 33 professional fights.
Photo of what is believed to be the vehicle in which Joshua was a passenger (X/@FRSCNigeria)
Joshua used his post-fight interview in the ring to call out Tyson Fury, with reports suggesting the two are close to agreeing a long-awaited fight in Saudi Arabia in 2026. However, Joshua is being groomed to fight beforehand, with a February return to the ring revived – but now complicated by the crash.
An advertisement
After the fight with Paul, Joshua told the streaming platform Netflix: “It wasn’t the best performance. We have to give Jake his respect for trying and trying and trying, but tonight he met a real fighter who had a layoff of 15 months, who shook the cobwebs off him.
“I can’t wait to get into 2026. If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put his twitter fingers down and put on some gloves and come and fight one of the most real fighters out there, he’ll take any challenge, step in the ring with me after if you’re a real bad boy. Don’t do all the talking, AJ, ‘that’. let’s see you in the ring and talk about your fists.”
Joshua had Jake Paul, a YouTuber turned boxer on December 19 (Getty Images for Netflix)
Paul reacted to the news of Joshua’s car crash by tweeting: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lives lost, AJ and everyone affected by today’s unfortunate accident.”