Star boxer Anthony Joshua was hospitalized after being injured in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two on Monday morning—less than two weeks after his high-profile knockout win over Jake Paul in Miami, according to multiple reports. Joshua, 36, was in a Lexus SUV when it slammed into a parked truck just after 11 a.m. on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway in Makun.
Video shared online shows the former heavyweight world champion shirtless and visibly shaken, sitting inside the badly damaged vehicle amid broken glass, appearing shocked in the moments after the crash. He is later seen sitting in the front seat of an emergency vehicle, talking to officials.
Narrow Escape for Joshua
Joshua reportedly suffered only minor injuries and was taken to the hospital as a precaution. "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," his promoter, Eddie Hearn, told the Daily Mail.
"We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course."
An eyewitness told Punch that two vehicles from Joshua's group were traveling together at the time, with the boxer's security team riding in the car behind them before the crash occurred.
The passenger in the front seat and another person sitting next to Joshua — who was reportedly seated behind the driver — were killed instantly at the scene, according to the report.
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."
Saved Luckily
Joshua knocked out Paul in the sixth round of their December 19 bout, a fight that also left Paul with a broken jaw. The win marked Joshua's first win since 2024 and dealt Paul the second loss of his boxing career.
Both fighters reportedly took home massive paydays, earning about $92 million each for the bout, according to a Daily Mail report last month.
"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.
