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British boxing superstar Anthony Joshua has escaped with minor injuries after a car crash in Nigeria left two other passengers dead.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion is holidaying in Africa following his sixth-round knockout victory over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami less than a fortnight ago.
According to reports, the incident occurred along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun state.
A police statement said: “The Ogun State Police Command confirms that world-renowned boxer, Anthony Joshua, was involved in a road traffic accident at about 11am in Makun, Ogun State.”
“The vehicle conveying Mr Joshua, a Lexus SUV, was involved in the accident under circumstances that are currently being investigated. Joshua, seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical attention with another injured person,” the statement said.
“Tragically, two other passengers in the vehicle lost their lives at the scene.”
They were later identified as two of Joshua’s close friends.
“With profound sadness, it has been confirmed that two close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, have tragically passed away,” promoter Matchroom Boxing said in a statement.
The Punch newspaper quoted eyewitness Adeniyi Orojo, who said: “Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him. There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed. His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.”
The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the accident in a post on X.
A damaged 18-wheeler truck from a road accident, reportedly involving British boxer Anthony Joshua, was later towed away from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Source: AFP / Tonye Bakare
Unverified footage posted online appeared to show a shirtless Joshua looking dazed in the passenger seat of a vehicle amid broken glass.
In social media videos from the site of the accident, Joshua can be seen grimacing as he attempts to exit the car wreckage before being taken to hospital.
Local police commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo said an investigation into the accident has been ordered.
He told the Associated Press news agency: “Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries.” He said he had no further information on the injuries.
According to a statement by Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle “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”.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Daily Mail Sport: “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,” he said.
“We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
Joshua’s win over Paul was his 29th win from 33 professional fights and seemed to move him closer to a long-awaited showdown with British rival Tyson Fury, who is currently retired, next year.
The son of British-Nigerian parents, Joshua attended a boarding school in Ikenne, 85km from where the crash happened, before returning to Britain aged 12.
