Various videos on X (formerly Twitter) show British boxer and former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua being assisted out of a damaged vehicle, apparently from one of the passenger seats, after getting hurt in fatal car accident that killed two people on Monday.
The accident took place on a major highway connecting Ogun state, a neighbouring city, to Lagos, the country’s commercial hub.
In one of the videos, shirtless Anthony Joshua can be seen wincing in pain as he is pulled from the vehicle involved in the crash. A man wearing a suit and tie helps him out from behind, while others assist from the front. The clip, which has been widely shared online, also shows several men surrounding the crash site as the rescue unfolds.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information Gbenga Omotoso confirmed the accident in a post on X, saying the government had dispatched ambulances to the crash site. Local media reports added that the boxer has been taken to a hospital.
According to Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), initial findings suggest the vehicle “to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre and crashed into a stationary truck,” which was parked by the roadside, reported AP.
Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said Joshua’s car was towed to a police station in nearby Sagamu. Photos released by the FRSC showed a heavily damaged black SUV and what appeared to be blood on the road, as per AFP.
A family member of Anthony Joshua, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that the news of the accident has “shocked the family”. The relative stated. “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace.” They added that Joshua was travelling from Lagos to the family home, noting that he usually visits around the New Year and that they had been expecting him as they had not seen him yet.
Born on 15 October 1989, Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer and a former two-time heavyweight champion. He held the unified world heavyweight titles from 2017 to 2019 and again from 2019 to 2021. At the regional level, he also captured the British and Commonwealth heavyweight belts between 2015 and 2016.
As an amateur, Joshua competed for England at the 2011 World Championships, where he won a silver medal in the super-heavyweight category. He went on to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, securing a gold medal. After turning professional, he was named The Ring magazine’s Prospect of the Year in 2014.
In 2017, his win over Wladimir Klitschko was honoured as Fight of the Year by both The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Joshua recently defeated YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on December 19 in a fight in Miami, a bout he used to sharpen his form as he prepares for a bid to regain the world heavyweight title he lost to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021. He has also been in discussions about a potential fight against fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.
Nigeria is the ancestral home of Joshua’s parents, and he also spent a brief period at a boarding school there when he was 11.
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