Anthony Joshua injured in car crash in Nigeria that has left two other people dead

Anthony Joshua has been injured in a fatal car crash in Nigeria, police say.

The British former heavyweight boxing champion, 36, was travelling in the back of a black Lexus when the SUV hit a stationary truck on a busy highway in Makun, Ogun State. He suffered minor injuries and has been taken to hospital for treatment, while two other passengers in the vehicle died, according to authorities.

Another person was also injured. Joshua is on holiday in Africa following his win over US YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami just over a week ago.

The crash happened on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Sagamu, around 30 miles northeast of the country's largest city Lagos, at about midday local time (11am UK time), according to the Nigerian federal road safety corps (FRSC). The corps said preliminary findings indicated the Lexus was "suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed limit" and "lost control" while overtaking before crashing into the truck, which was parked by the side of the road.

"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. Lanre Ogunlowo, the police commissioner for Ogun State, said: "Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries." He said he has no further information on the injuries.

Joshua, who is the son of ‍British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, around 50 miles from where the crash happened, before returning to ‌Britain at the age of 12. Pictures released by the FRSC show the badly damaged Lexus that Joshua was travelling in and the red Sinotruck that it collided with.

Footage posted on social media shows the British ex-world heavyweight champion apparently wincing in pain as he is helped out of the wreckage by a crowd. Other clips show him in an emergency vehicle, wearing only a pair of shorts, as he is driven away from the scene.

The FRSC said a total of five adult males were involved in the crash, adding: "Two persons sadly lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unhurt. "Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and sustained minor injuries." Police said in a statement that the two people who died have been taken to Livewell Hospital Morgue, in nearby Sagamu, while the circumstances of the crash are "currently being investigated".

"The Ogun State Police Command extends heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assures the public that a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident has commenced," a statement said. The crash happened just over a week after Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round of their bout on 19 December.

The fight marked the end of a 14-month hiatus for Joshua, who is expected to fight long-time rival Tyson Fury in 2026..