Anthony Joshua injured and two killed in Nigeria car crash

Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria that reportedly killed two people.

The heavyweight boxer, 36, was involved in an incident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Monday, with the road said to be one of the most dangerous in the country.

A series of tweets posted by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps stated that the incident involved a Lexus Jeep, in which Joshua was a passenger, and a “stationary, red commercial Sinotruck”. “A total of five adult males were involved in the crash,” wrote the Corps. “Two persons sadly lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unhurt. Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and sustained minor injuries.

“The injured victim was evacuated for medical attention, while the remains of the deceased were conveyed to Livewell Morgue, Ajaka, Sagamu.

“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.”

However, Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN: “The accident happened as a result of a burst tire on AJ's vehicle, which caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road.”

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It was not confirmed in which vehicle the two deceased persons had been travelling.

Video footage of the aftermath of the incident showed Joshua sitting in his car, which appeared to have sustained heavy damage, appearing dazed and in pain. Further footage showed Joshua outside of the vehicle and still wincing.

A representative for Joshua told The Independent that the former world champion’s UK-based team was looking into the matter. Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told the Daily Mail: “I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this 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. We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”

The BBC reported that two people died in the crash. It said it had been told by Ogun State Police Command that Joshua and other injured people had been taken to “an undisclosed hospital”. It added that police said Joshua sustained minor injuries but was “fine”.

The crash comes just 10 days after Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a fight in Miami. Joshua, who has Nigerian heritage, had been in Africa on holiday following the bout.

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The Briton beat Paul in six rounds in his first fight since a knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois in September 2024. It was his 29th win from 33 professional fights.

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 lined up to fight beforehand, with a February return to the ring mooted but now complicated by Monday’s news.

After the fight with Paul, Joshua told streaming platform Netflix: “It wasn’t the best performance. We have to give Jake his respect for trying and trying and trying, but he came up against a real fighter tonight that’s had a 15-month layoff, who shook off the cobwebs.

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“I can’t wait to roll into 2026. If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there, that will take on any challenge, step in the ring with me next if you’re a real bad boy. Don’t do all that talking, ‘AJ this, AJ that.’ let’s see you in the ring and talk with your fists.”

Paul reacted to the news of Joshua’s car crash by tweeting: “Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

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