Ex-boxing champ Joshua hurt in crash, two killed

LAGOS, Nigeria — Anthony Joshua, the two-time former world heavyweight boxing champion from Britain, was hospitalized in stable condition Monday after being involved in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two people who were close friends and team members, his promoter said.

Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing said on X that Joshua “sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment” and he will “remain there for observation.” It named Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele as the two passengers who had “tragically passed away.”

Photos on social media showed Joshua being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain.

“Following thorough clinical evaluations, medical professionals have confirmed that both patients [hospitalized after the accident] are stable and do not require any emergency medical intervention at this time,” a joint statement by Lagos and Ogun state governments said.

The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, confirmed the accident in a post on X, adding that the government had sent ambulances to the crash site.

The crash occurred on a major thoroughfare — the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which links Ogun state to Lagos, the country’s economic capital — at about 11 a.m. local time. Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents.

In a statement, Ogun State Police said that Joshua was in the back of a Lexus SUV and that “circumstances” of the accident were being investigated.

“The accident happened as a result of a burst tire on AJ’s vehicle, which caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road,” Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN.

According to Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was “traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck,” which was by the side of the road.

Joshua beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul via sixth-round knockout on Dec. 19 in a bout in Miami, which he was using to regain sharpness in the ring. He lost the world heavyweight title in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk.

“Life is much more important than boxing,” Paul posted to X. “I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, called Joshua in the hospital.

“I spoke with AJ on the phone to personally convey my condolences over the death of his two associates,” the president said on X. “I wished him a full and speedy recovery and prayed with him. AJ assured me he is receiving the best possible care. I also spoke with his mother and prayed for her. She was deeply appreciative of the call.”

No further details on Joshua’s condition were given.

Hearn had earlier told Daily Mail Sport that he was “away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident.

“We don’t want to speculate on how [Joshua] is, but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images,” Hearn said.

Joshua briefly went to boarding school in Nigeria at the age of 11. In 2019 ahead of a fight against Andy Ruiz Jr., Joshua returned there for the first time in 17 years.

He has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.

ESPN’s Colin Udoh and The Associated Press contributed to this report.