British former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was involved in a fatal road accident in Nigeria’s Ogun State that left two people dead, Nigerian authorities confirmed on Monday.
According to the Ogun State Police Command, Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries after the vehicle he was travelling in collided with another car on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. He was taken to hospital for treatment, while police said an investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.
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Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the accident involved five people. Two individuals died at the scene, two others escaped without injury, and Joshua suffered minor injuries. The FRSC said preliminary findings indicate that the vehicle carrying the boxer was likely speeding and lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre before crashing into a stationary truck parked by the roadside.
🚨 Anthony Joshua Injured in Fatal Nigeria Car Crash.🙏 🚨 🚗
British heavyweight boxing Star ⭐ Anthony Joshua🥊sustained minor injuries in a serious road accident on Nigeria’s Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday, December 29, 2025, which claimed the lives of two people.
The… pic.twitter.com/rpYkkvYeDG
— JAS (@JasADRxquisites) December 29, 2025
“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 in a statement posted on social media platform X.
Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment.
The former heavyweight champion has close ties to Nigeria. He is the son of British-Nigerian parents and attended boarding school in Ikenne, around 85 kilometres from where the crash occurred, before returning to Britain at the age of 12.
The incident comes just over a week after Joshua returned to the ring following a 15-month layoff, knocking out American social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round of a bout in Miami. The contest, backed by Netflix, attracted widespread attention and criticism for its uneven matchup.
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Joshua is expected to face long-time rival and fellow Briton Tyson Fury in a highly anticipated bout scheduled for 2026, pending his recovery and the outcome of the ongoing investigation.