Anthony Joshua health update: Boxing star stable in hospital after fatal car crash in Nigeria

Anthony Joshua stands on stage during a face-off against Jake Paul at a news conference promoting their heavyweight boxing earlier this month. (AP Photo)

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was injured in a car accident that killed two other passengers in Nigeria on Monday. The Nigerian-British boxer was reportedly transferred to a hospital, according to local media reports that quoted Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Ogun State Government.

Joshua was recently in the news for beating YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on December 19 in a bout in Miami. Joshua was using that bout to regain sharpness in the ring ahead of an attempt to reclaim the world heavyweight title, which he lost in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk. He has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.

The BBC, quoting Ogun state government, reported that Joshua is conscious and has already been in touch with his family.

“Anthony Joshua and another passenger were immediately evacuated to a specialised medical facility in Lagos. Following comprehensive clinical assessments, doctors have confirmed that both patients are stable and do not require any emergency medical intervention at this time. A full medical team has been assembled and will continue to monitor them closely,” the statement from the Ogun state government said.

“Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries,” Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of police for Ogun state, told the AP. He said he has no further information on the injuries.

Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents and where he briefly went to boarding school at the age of 11.

Photos on social media show the boxer being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain. The accident occurred on a major thoroughfare linking Ogun state, a nearby city, to Lagos, the country’s economic center.

According to a statement by Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, initial investigations indicate 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 by the side of the road.

The Ogun state government said in a statement that “preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot”. AP has not been able to independently verify their identities.

Nigeria’s federal road safety corps said in posts on X: “A total of five adult males were involved in the crash. Two persons sadly lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unhurt. Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and sustained minor injuries.”