The tragic collision occurred during ‘an overtaking manoeuvre’
Images showing British boxer Anthony Joshua being removed from the wreckage of a car crash in which he was a passenger have been shared online.
The 36-year-old athlete suffered “minor injuries” after the Lexus he was travelling in crashed in Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of two people. The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion is being treated in hospital after being rescued from the site of the collision.
The incident comes just ten days after his sixth-round knockout win over YouTube-turned-boxing superstar Jake Paul in Miami. It is believed the Watford native was holidaying and visiting relatives in the town of Sagamu, Ogun State.
A statement released by Ogun State Police confirmed that the incident occurred along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway on Monday morning.
“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,” it read. “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. Tragically, two other passengers in the vehicle lost their lives at the scene.”
Images from the scene appear to show a topless Joshua in the back seat of the vehicle, surrounded by broken glass.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Nigeria revealed on X that preliminary findings suggested a Lexus Jeep “was suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit”. The FRSC added the car lost control during “an overtaking manoeuvre” and crashed into a stationary truck by the side of the road.
The road on which the crash occurred has a foreboding reputation.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is regarded as the country’s ‘most dangerous highway’. More than 1,200 people were involved in accidents on the busy thoroughfare in the first quarter of this year with 78 recorded fatalities.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Mirror Sport he is attempting to ascertain the extent of Joshua’s injuries, saying: “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 added: “We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
