Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was reportedly involved in a fatal road accident in Nigeria on Monday, leaving at least two people dead. The crash occurred days after a widely publicised boxing event involving social media star Jake Paul.
Sources familiar with the incident disclosed that the accident happened along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, around the Makun axis of Ogun State. As of press time, authorities had yet to release an official statement, while full details of the circumstances surrounding the crash remained unclear.
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has reportedly been involved in a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State, Nigeria, with at least two people feared dead. The incident occurred just days after a high-profile bout featuring YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
A verified source at Metro Punch confirmed that the accident happened on Monday morning along the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, in Ogun. Details surrounding the crash remain sketchy, and there has been no official statement from authorities as of the time of filing this report.
However, a video sighted by our correspondent shows Joshua seated inside a badly wrecked vehicle, while two of his companions were reportedly dead at the scene.
Although the boxer was reported to have sustained only minor injuries, a video circulating on social media showed the 36-year-old visibly in pain as he was assisted by bystanders and members of his security detail from the wreckage.
A Punch staff member, Adeniyi Orojo, who witnessed the crash, described the scene as horrific, suggesting that the vehicle conveying the boxer rammed into a stationary truck, with the impact leaving gory sights at the scene.
“It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV. 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.
“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. The passenger beside the driver and the person beside Joshua died on the spot,” he said.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Babaseyi Oluseyi, confirmed the accident happened “in front of Sinoma, before Danco, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. Anthony Joshua and other injured persons have been rushed to the hospital.”
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, in a chat with Daily Mail Sport, said, “We are trying to contact Anthony, and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is, but thankfully he appears okay from what I have seen in the images. We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government described the incident as deeply unfortunate and painful, particularly with the loss of precious lives, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving medical care.
The statement said, The fatal accident occurred along the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, within the Makun axis of Ogun State, and sadly claimed the lives of two persons. Anthony Joshua and three other individuals were reportedly travelling from Lagos to Sagamu at the time of the incident.
“Preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot. Their remains have since been deposited at the Livewell Morgue in Sagamu. Anthony Joshua and the driver of the vehicle were promptly rescued by security personnel attached to his convoy and taken to a hospital, where they are currently receiving medical attention.
“The sport utility vehicle conveying the occupants was said to have rammed into a stationary truck along the expressway. While the severely damaged vehicle has been evacuated to the Sagamu Motor Traffic Division (MTD) office, efforts are ongoing to tow the truck involved to the same location to facilitate a comprehensive investigation.”
A relative of Anthony Joshua who spoke in confidence to the BBC said, “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace,” they said.
“He’s normally coming around for the new year. We haven’t seen him, so we were expecting him.”
