The horror crash that left boxing star Anthony Joshua hospitalized with minor injuries, and that killed two people on Monday morning occurred when the car he was traveling in lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle, according to Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps.
The agency later said in a series of posts on X that both the excessive speed and the improper maneuver amounted to "serious traffic violations." "To this end, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed on behalf of the entire Management and staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps extend heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish the injured victim, Anthony Joshua a speedy recovery," the organization continued in another post.
Violated All Traffic Rules
Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN that a tire blew out on the highway, causing the driver of the vehicle carrying Joshua to lose control. That detail, however, was not included in the Federal Road Safety Corps' statement.
Joshua, a 36-year-old British boxer, was seated in the back of the Lexus, directly behind the driver.
The passengers sitting in the front seat and directly behind it were killed instantly when the car slammed into a parked truck, according to Punch, a Nigerian news outlet citing an eyewitness.
Footage from the scene showed a visibly shaken, shirtless Joshua wincing in pain as bystanders helped pull him from the wreckage. Other images and videos captured the devastating condition of the car following the crash.
The accident occurred on Monday morning on a stretch of highway that local media — quoted by The Sun — has described as one of the most dangerous roads in Nigeria.
Narrow Escape
Joshua has strong ties to Nigeria, as both of his parents are Nigerian. A friend of Joshua's said that "he's okay but badly shaken up." "Nobody knows quite what damage has been done, but was able to escape the wreckage," they added.
"Others weren't quite so lucky so it's been a traumatic ordeal which he's trying to process."
"Jake Paul did really well and he deserves his props," Joshua said during a Netflix interview following the fight. "It takes a real man to do that and he deserves respect for trying and trying and trying. But he came up against a real fighter tonight."
Joshua is a former multi-time unified heavyweight champion, first holding the titles from March 2018 to July 2019 and then again from December 2019 through September 2021, according to ESPN.
He also captured a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics and heads into his next bout with a 29–4 record, including 26 knockouts, following his win over Paul.
