Boxer Anthony Joshua hurt in fatal car crash in Nigeria

British former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was involved in a car accident in Nigeria's Ogun State that killed two people, local police said on Monday.

Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries when his vehicle collided with another car, Ogun State Police Command said, adding that he had been taken to hospital and that they are investigating the cause of the accident.

Nigeria's Federal Road Safety Corps said five men had been involved in the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Joshua suffered minor injuries, two people lost their lives and two walked away unhurt, the FRSC said.

The agency said preliminary findings suggest the vehicle carrying Joshua was likely speeding when it lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck parked by the roadside.

"The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways," the FRSC said on X.

"The vehicle conveying Anthony Joshua, a Lexus SUV, was involved in the accident under circumstances that are currently being investigated," a separate statement from Ogun State Police Command read.

"He was seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical attention. Tragically, two other passengers in the vehicle lost their lives at the scene."

A police official provided more details on the accident to ESPN.

"The accident happened as a result of a burst tire on AJ's vehicle, which caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road," Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo said.

"For now, I'm aware of two fatalities and Joshua himself has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention."

A friend of the fighter's told British news site The Independent that Joshua is "OK but badly shaken up."

"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," Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Daily Mail Sport. "We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course."

Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment.

Joshua, who is the son of British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, 53 miles from where the crash happened, before returning to Britain at age 12.

The accident occurred just over a week after Joshua knocked out American social media star Jake Paul in the sixth round of a bout in Miami.

Joshua was returning to the ring after a 15-month layoff. He is expected to fight long-time rival and fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026. — Reuters/ with a report from Field Level Media