Police release statement and eyewitnesses speak out after boxing star injured
Nigerian authorities have confirmed that two people have died following the car crash that also left British boxing star Anthony Joshua with minor injuries.
Footage has emerged on social media showing the Briton looking dazed following a crash that took place on his visit to the country.
Joshua was on a top to Samagu, a town in Ogun State, where he has family in the area.
The crash has taken place less than two weeks after he beat Jake Paul in Miami, in what represented his first bout since his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
Now, the Ogun State Police Command have released a statement confirming that two people have died in the crash.
They said that Joshua was ‘fine’ but had been taken to an ‘undisclosed hospital’.
The crash took place on the Ogun-Lagos state expressway. Photos and videos on social media show the Briton in what appears to be a damaged vehicle.
Anthony Joshua appeared dazed in video footage that emerged on social media after his car crash | X
Eyewitnesses have also spoken out.
Adeniyi Orojo, speaking to Nigerian newspaper The Punch, said that Joshua had been seated behind the driver in a Lexus at the time of the horror collision.
“Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him,” the eyewitness said.
Eddie Hearn is Anthony Joshua’s promoter, with the boxing supremo confirming he was trying to reach the fighter
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PA“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 witness recounted how members of the public immediately began assisting those involved in the collision.
“Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist. A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived,” they added.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has confirmed he’s trying to contact the boxing star but that he was relieved the fighter was only left with minor injuries.
“I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident,” he told the Daily Mail.
“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.
Anthony Joshua beat Jake Paul in six rounds earlier this month
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GETTY“We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
Joshua had shared a video on his Instagram account just hours before the accident, showing him playing table tennis shirtless with close friend Kevin Ayodele, captioning the clip: “@healthy_mindset dishing out table tennis smoke.”
The British boxer had been on a pre-arranged week-long visit to Nigeria following his return to the UK after defeating YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami earlier this month.
Joshua stopped Paul in the sixth round of their bout, securing a knockout victory that set up his next scheduled contest.
The 36-year-old had been due to return to the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February for his next fight.
