Anthony Joshua injured in car crash in Nigeria that killed two people

British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua was injured in a car crash in Nigeria on Monday morning that killed two people, local police said.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion was taken to an undisclosed hospital after his car hit a stationary vehicle at around 11am on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun state police commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo said. The driver of Joshua’s vehicle was also injured, he added.

“It’s still sketchy for us here. We are trying to establish all the facts from the first responders and that is the most we can say … We will be giving details as we have updates,” Ogunlowo explained.

Ogun police command said in a statement: “The vehicle conveying Mr Joshua, a Lexus SUC, 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. The deceased have been conveyed to Livewell Hospital Morgue, Sagamu. The Ogun State Police Command extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assures the public that a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident has commenced.”

A video shared by local news outlet Punch appeared to show Joshua sitting in the back left seat of a damaged car. A second video showed him walking slowly and getting into a police vehicle.

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps said in posts on X that it had arrived on the scene within three minutes of being notified. It said: “A total of five adult males were involved in the crash. Two persons sadly lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unhurt. Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and sustained minor injuries.”

The agency added: “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 [sic] by the side of the road.”

“The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways.”

Photos shared by the agency on X showed a black car with a badly damaged front and a truck covered in tarpaulin on a downward sloping grass verge, with what appears to be a dent on the left side of its back.

Joshua is the son of British-Nigerian parents and has family ties in the town of Sagamu, about 30 miles north of Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos. Police said the crash took place on the north-bound Ibadan side of the highway, close to the junction to Sagamu.

The 36-year-old attended a boarding school in Ikenne, 53 miles from the crash site, before returning to Britain aged 12.

On 20 December, he knocked out YouTuber Jake Paul in the sixth round of a boxing match streamed live on Netflix, after a 15-month break from the sport. He was expected to fight Tyson Fury, another former world heavyweight champion, fellow Briton and longtime rival, next year.

Earlier on Monday morning, Joshua had posted a video of himself playing table tennis on his Instagram stories, without disclosing a location.

Joshua’s management team in the UK said they had been unable to reach the boxer.