World-renowned heavyweight boxer and former world champion, Anthony Joshua, has been injured in a tragic road accident that claimed the lives of two people in Makun, Ogun State, on Monday.
The accident occurred along the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway shortly after 11:00am, according to eyewitness accounts and local media reports.
Joshua, 36, was travelling in a Lexus SUV when the vehicle reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated by authorities.
Emergency responders confirmed that two occupants of the crash died at the scene, while Joshua sustained minor injuries. The Olympic gold medallist was seen in video footage circulating online sitting inside the damaged vehicle moments after the collision.
He was later filmed seated in an emergency response vehicle while speaking with officials.
Joshua was subsequently taken for medical evaluation, and sources indicate that his condition is stable.
Reacting to the incident, Joshua’s long-time promoter, Eddie Hearn, told British Daily Mail that he was on a family holiday when he learned of the crash.
“I 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, Hearn said.
“We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course”, he added.
Authorities in Ogun State, Nigeria, have commenced investigations to determine the exact cause of the accident.
Anthony Joshua, one of boxing’s biggest global stars, was in Nigeria at the time of the incident for undisclosed personal engagements. Further updates are expected as more details emerge.
Anthony Joshua’s car crash comes shortly after his heavyweight victory over YouTube star Jake Paul on 19 December.
Joshua, who had been out of the ring since defeat by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, broke Paul’s jaw in two places during the six-round victory in Miami.
The fight earned the 36-year-old Briton a share of a reported £210m purse.
The bout, streamed on Netflix, was criticised by some – given Paul was a relative novice, and smaller than Joshua.
Joshua said he was “not worried” about the integrity of the fight and the “whole point of it” was to “create conversation”.
The accident happened this morning, when Joshua was travelling along a very busy expressway, seemingly in the back seat of a Lexus.
The road is commonly known as the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and it has been described by local media as one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads.
The Lagos-Ibadan expressway connects Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. It spans 127 km (79 miles).
It gets particularly busy during this time of year as many Nigerians travel back to the country from the diaspora to celebrate the festive period.