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Police say two people have died in a car crash in Ogun State involving a two-time former heavyweight champion.
Published December 29, 2025
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Last updated: 14 minutes ago
Former British heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua caused a traffic accident in Nigeria’s Ogun state that killed two people, local police said.
Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries when the car he was riding in collided with another vehicle on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Monday, local police said.
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“The vehicle, a Lexus SUV, carrying Anthony Joshua was involved in an accident under circumstances which are currently under investigation,” Ogun State Police Spokesperson Olusei Babaseyi said in a statement.
“He was sitting in the back seat of the car and sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical treatment.”
Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment.
Photos on social media purportedly show the boxer wincing in pain as he is rescued from a wrecked car.
The accident occurred on a major highway connecting the nearby city of Ogun state to the country’s economic hub, Lagos.
According to a statement from Federal Road Safety Corps spokesperson Olusegun Ogunbemide, preliminary investigations indicate that the vehicle “travelled above the legal speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver” and collided with a truck parked on the side of the road.
A witness, Adeniyi Oloho, also told Nigerian newspaper The Punch that Joshua was traveling in a Lexus when he collided with a parked vehicle.
“Joshua was sitting behind the driver and there was another person next to him,” he told the newspaper.
“A passenger was also sitting next to the driver, and there were four people in the Lexus that caused the accident. His safety precautions were to be in the following vehicle before the crash.”
It added: “The passenger next to the driver and the person next to Joshua died at the scene.”
Joshua, the son of British-Nigerian parents, attended boarding school in Ikenne, 85km from the scene of the accident, before returning to the UK at the age of 12.
The British boxer has been in Nigeria since his December 19 bout with YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul, which Joshua won by knockout in the sixth round.
Joshua returned to the ring after a 15-month break. He is expected to fight long-time rival Tyson Fury in 2026.
