LAGOS — British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua was injured in a serious car crash on Monday morning while on holiday in Nigeria, an accident that reportedly claimed the lives of two people, according to BBC reports.
The incident occurred at around 11:00 a.m. local time on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, one of Nigeria’s busiest and most accident-prone highways. Joshua was travelling as a passenger when the vehicle was involved in the collision.
Video footage circulating on social media shows the former world champion shirtless and visibly in pain inside a badly damaged car, with extensive damage to the front of the vehicle. Emergency services were seen attending the scene.
Promoter Confirms Incident, Awaits Full Details
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed awareness of the crash but said details surrounding the incident were still emerging.
“I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident,” Hearn told the Daily Mail. “We are trying to contact Anthony and, in the meantime, we don’t want to speculate on how he is. Thankfully, from the images I have seen, he appears to be OK.”
Hearn added that Joshua’s team was still gathering information on the circumstances of the crash and would provide updates once more facts were confirmed.
The accident comes just 10 days after Joshua’s knockout victory over YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, whom he defeated in the sixth round on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
That bout attracted an estimated 33 million viewers on Netflix, making it one of the most-watched boxing events in recent years. Joshua dropped Paul four times in the sixth round before the referee stopped the fight. Paul later suffered a double jaw fracture and underwent surgery, with doctors recommending a year-long break from boxing.
Joshua’s win improved his professional record to 29 wins and four losses, with 26 knockouts, and reignited speculation about a potential future bout with Tyson Fury, who has announced his retirement but is widely believed to be open to a return under the right circumstances.
Now 35, Joshua is a former two-time unified heavyweight champion, holding the titles between 2017 and 2019, and again from 2019 to 2021. He lost the belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 but has since been rebuilding toward another title challenge.
The victory over Jake Paul marked Joshua’s first fight in the United States since 2019, and was widely viewed as evidence that he still possesses elite knockout power.
Joshua, who has Nigerian heritage through his father, frequently visits the country. Authorities have not yet released an official report on the cause of the crash.
As of Monday evening, Joshua’s condition was believed to be stable, though his management team said further updates would be issued once more information becomes available.
