Anthony Joshua’s triumphant return to the spotlight took a devastating turn just days later. The British heavyweight boxing star survived a serious car crash in Nigeria on Monday morning that killed two people and left him with minor injuries, according to local authorities.
The collision happened along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, a notoriously dangerous stretch of road in the country’s southwest, as Joshua was traveling from Lagos toward his family home.
Ogun State Police Command confirmed that the former world champion was a passenger in a Lexus SUV involved in the crash around 11 a.m. local time near the Sagamu Interchange in Makun, Ogun State. Federal Road Safety Corps officials described the vehicle as a Lexus Jeep.
Two passengers were killed at the scene, two others escaped unharmed, and Joshua was rescued alive. “He was seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and receiving medical attention,” police said in a statement. “Tragically, two other passengers in the vehicle lost their lives at the scene.”
Authorities are still investigating the exact circumstances of the crash, though early findings suggest speed played a role. According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Lexus struck a stationary truck that had broken down on the roadside.
© Leonardo Fernandez“Preliminary findings indicate that the Lexus Jeep, which was suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre and crashed into a stationary truck well packed by the side of the road,” the agency said.
An eyewitness later told BBC News Pidgin that the truck was transporting soybeans and had been stranded on the highway since Sunday. The impact reportedly destroyed parts of the truck, including its tires. The witness added that Joshua remained inside the vehicle for close to 10 minutes before bystanders called out to him and helped him regain consciousness.
© Adeniyi OrojoNigerian Road Safety Corps officials later removed the damaged truck from the road. Images and video from the scene circulated quickly online, showing a visibly shaken Joshua being assisted from the wreckage by several men. In some clips, the boxer appears to grimace in pain as he is guided away from the vehicle.
Authorities said police were on site within minutes of being notified. Ogun State officials later confirmed that the two people who died were “two male foreign nationals,” based on preliminary reports.
Joshua and the driver were rescued by security personnel traveling with him. The crash came at a moment when Joshua was once again dominating headlines for entirely different reasons.
© Leonardo FernandezJust nine days earlier, the 36 year old defeated social media star turned boxer Jake Paul in a heavily promoted Netflix bout in Miami. The fight, watched by an estimated 33 million viewers, marked Joshua’s return to the ring after a September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois.
During the six round fight, Joshua broke Paul’s jaw in two places. The matchup drew criticism from some corners of the boxing world, given Paul’s relative inexperience and smaller size, but Joshua brushed off the controversy at the time, saying he was “not worried” about the integrity of the fight and that the “whole point of it” was to “create conversation.”
Paul responded to news of the crash with a message of support. “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident,” he wrote on X.
© Richard PelhamJoshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, said he was trying to reach the fighter after waking up to reports of the incident. “We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images,” Hearn told the Daily Mail. “We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
A relative, who asked not to be named, told the BBC the crash came as a shock. “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace,” the relative said, adding that Joshua had been expected home for the New Year.
“He’s normally coming around for the new year. We haven’t seen him so we were expecting him.” As investigators work to determine what led to Monday’s fatal crash, Joshua remains under medical care, recovering from minor injuries while two families mourn lives lost in a tragedy that cut short an ordinary journey and cast a sobering shadow over a moment of professional celebration.
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