British boxer Anthony Joshua, former heavyweight world champion, was “slightly injured”, Monday, December 29, in a road accident in Nigeria which left two dead.
“The vehicle carrying Anthony Joshua was involved in an accident, the circumstances of which are under investigation”said a police spokesperson for Ogun State (South-West) in a statement, explaining that the boxer, “who was sitting in the rear of the vehicle, was slightly injured”.
His promoter specified that the athlete was in the hospital in “a stable state”. “It is with deep sadness that the tragic passing of two close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, has been confirmed.”added Matchroom Boxing, in a press release. Both men were involved in the boxer’s physical preparation.
The accident took place in the town of Makun, along the highway linking Lagos, the economic capital, to Ibadan, a city in the southwest of the country, at 11 a.m., police said.
The car Joshua was traveling in “appears to have driven above the authorized speed on this section, and [le conducteur] lost control in an overtaking maneuver, hitting a truck which was stationary on the side of the road »the Federal Road Safety Corps of Nigeria (FRSC) said in a statement. Two passengers in the vehicle carrying Joshua were killed, police said.
The identity of the victims, “two foreign citizens”according to a spokesperson for the Ogun State governor, has not been revealed.
Holidays in Nigeria
The Olympic champion at the London Games in 2012, whose parents were born in Nigeria, was on vacation in the country, according to his promoter, Eddie Hearn, interviewed by the Daily Mail. In photos and videos circulating on social media, Joshua appears shirtless, sitting in the back seat of the vehicle, surrounded by broken glass.
According to a witness interviewed by Agence France-Presse, who said his name was Kunle, the truck “was not parked at the time of the accident”contradicting the official version. “People rushed to help, without knowing who was inside the vehicle”declared this 27-year-old man. “It was when we got there that we realized there was Anthony Joshua inside. »
The FRSC added that Joshua’s vehicle was towed to the nearby Sagamu police station.
On December 20, Anthony Joshua defeated by KO. the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul, in a fight staged by Netflix with excessive means, for a purse estimated at 184 million dollars (around 156 million euros). “Life is much more important than boxing. I pray for the victims, AJ, and all those affected by today’s tragic accident.”reacted on the social network X Jake Paul.
Joshua, former heavyweight king, recorded several defeats which tarnished his record, the last in September 2024 against his compatriot Daniel Dubois. At the end of his victory against Paul, Joshua launched a challenge to Tyson Fury, his whimsical compatriot and also ex-heavyweight champion, whom he never faced.
