Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Ogun, Nigeria that left two people dead.
Joshua, whose parents are Nigerian, had been in the country on vacation following his sixth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul earlier this month in Miami. According to Punch Magazine, Joshua had been travelling as a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary vehicle. The 36-year-old former heavyweight champion only sustained minor injuries.
However, Images and videos from the fatal collision have already begun to circulate online, with pictures of Joshua sitting in the back seat of a damaged car surrounded by broken glass. There is also a video of Joshua being helped out of the vehicle where he is visibly in pain from the collision.
Joshua’s long-time promoter and friend Eddie Hearn told the Daily Mail: “I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident.
“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. We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
Matchroom Boxing were contacted by BoxingScene and said “they are awaiting a further update,” and would share details in due course.
Joshua, a 36-year-old from Watford won gold at the London Olympics in 2012 and last boxed defeating Jake Paul in Miami on December 19, stopping Paul in the sixth of a scheduled eight-rounder.
A few hours before the crash, Joshua had posted a story on his Instagram of him playing table-tennis in Nigeria. He was playing with a personal trainer – known as "Latz" – who also worked with Badou Jack.
Jack posted on his Instagram: "Still in shock... May Allah forgive you for your shortcomings and grant you the highest level of paradise," tagging in Latz's account. He also used a heartbroken emoji.
It has since been confirmed that the crash victims were longtime friends of Joshua's, Sina Ghami and Kevin "Latif/Latz" Ayodele.
Local police, talking to the BBC, said Joshua was "fine" and that five men were in a car when it collided with a stationary truck. Police were reportedly at the scene three minutes after the crash on the Lagos-Ibadan highway, which has been dubbed one of Nigeria's deadliest roads.
