Boxing heavyweight Anthony Joshua hospitalised after fatal road crash in Nigeria

Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua was grimacing while getting assistnace from locals after being involved ina  fatal road accident in Nigeria on December 29, 2025. [Photo: Adeniyi Orojo]

Former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has sustained injuries in a serious road traffic accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two people travelling in the same vehicle.

The British boxing star, 36, sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment following the crash, which occurred on the Lagos–Ibadan highway near a petrol station. Joshua was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that reportedly collided with a stationary truck along the busy route.

According to accounts from the scene, Joshua was seated behind the driver when the accident happened. Emergency responders arrived shortly after the collision as crowds gathered around the wreckage.

Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo confirmed that Joshua was hospitalised following the incident, while police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi stated that two people died at the scene. One other occupant of the vehicle was also hospitalised, with authorities declining to disclose the location of the medical facility.

Eyewitness footage circulating online showed passersby assisting a visibly shaken Joshua from the severely damaged vehicle, which was surrounded by shattered glass.

A witness told local Nigerian newspaper Punch that the Lexus SUV was travelling as part of a two-vehicle convoy and had four occupants at the time of the crash. Two passengers, one seated beside the driver and another next to Joshua, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident comes just days after Joshua returned to the ring, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in six rounds in Miami. The bout, streamed globally on Netflix, attracted a reported audience of 33 million viewers and left Paul with a broken jaw. Joshua is expected to return to action in Riyadh early next year, pending medical clearance.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.