Anthony Joshua Car Accident: Former World Heavyweight Champion Is Stable Now

Anthony Joshua Survives Deadly Car Crash in Nigeria That Killed Two Close Aides – Credits: Sodiq Ayo Via Reuters

British boxer Anthony Joshua remained stable in a Lagos hospital on Tuesday following a fatal car crash that killed two members of his team and left him with minor injuries.

The two-time former world heavyweight champion was a passenger in a Lexus SUV traveling from Lagos to Sagamu on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when the vehicle suffered a tire burst due to excessive speed, lost control and collided with a stationary truck near a petrol station in Ogun State at around 11 a.m. local time on Monday.

The deceased were identified as Sina Ghami, Joshua's strength and conditioning coach, and Latif "Latz" Ayodele, his personal trainer, both longtime friends who had been integral to his career for over a decade.

Ghami and Ayodele were pronounced dead at the scene, while Joshua and the driver were rescued from the wreckage by the boxer's security team and transported to a specialist medical facility in Lagos.

Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi of Nigeria's Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps said early investigations showed the Lexus had been travelling along the highway from Lagos to Sagamu when it "experienced a tyre burst due to excessive speed" and then "lost control".

Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN that:

"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."

A joint statement from the Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua was stable and conscious, and had been in contact with his family.

Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spoke with Joshua by phone and posted on X that he conveyed condolences over the deaths and wished the boxer a full recovery.

Joshua had been in Nigeria, where his parents are from and where he has family roots in Sagamu, following his sixth-round knockout victory over Jake Paul in Miami on December 19.

Photos from the Federal Road Safety Corps showed the wrecked SUV at the crash site with onlookers gathered, and social media images depicted Joshua being helped from the vehicle while appearing in pain.

Matchroom Boxing, Joshua's promoter, confirmed the deaths in a statement and said the boxer sustained injuries requiring hospital checks and observation.

Eddie Hearn, chair of Matchroom, paid tribute on X to the "two great men" who died.

Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, said preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was "traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck".