Joshua’s crash in Nigeria came days after Jake Paul fight
Anthony Joshua’s car crash comes shortly after his heavyweight victory over YouTube star Jake Paul on 19 December.
Joshua, who had been out of the ring since defeat by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, broke Paul’s jaw in two places during the six-round victory in Miami.
The fight earned the 36-year-old Briton a share of a reported £210m purse.
The bout, streamed on Netflix, was criticised by some – given Paul was a relative novice, and smaller than Joshua.
Joshua said he was “not worried” about the integrity of the fight and the “whole point of it” was to “create conversation”.
Lagos-Ibadan highway has been called one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads
The accident happened this morning, when Joshua was travelling along a very busy expressway, seemingly in the back seat of a Lexus.
The road is commonly known as the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and it has been described by local media as one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads.
The Lagos-Ibadan expressway connects Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. It spans 127 km (79 miles).
It gets particularly busy during this time of year as many Nigerians travel back to the country from the diaspora to celebrate the festive period.
Anthony Joshua pictured in car after crash
Images and videos of the crash have been circulating on social media, including this one of Anthony Joshua taken shortly after the incident, in the back seat of a vehicle.
Officials also released these pictures of a severely damaged vehicle, and debris surrounding a truck with a large dent in it.
Police detail exact location of the crash
Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that the crash occurred along the Lagos–Ibadan expressway, just before a Danco petrol station near the Sagamu Interchange, north-east of Lagos.
The force says the crash involved a Lexus SUV that Joshua was travelling in.
Joshua’s relative tells the BBC of family shock
A relative of Anthony Joshua, who asked not to be named, tells the BBC that the news of the crash has “come to the family as a shock”.
“We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace,” the relative says.
Joshua was travelling from Lagos to the family home, they add.
“He’s normally coming around for the new year. We haven’t seen him so we were expecting him.”
Wrecked car and dented truck pictured at crash site
The Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria has just posted the following images on X showing the site of the crash:
Two dead, two unhurt, with Joshua suffering ‘minor’ injuries – officials
More now from the update given by road safety officials.
They say five adult males were involved in the crash – two of whom have died.
Two others “escaped unhurt”.
Anthony Joshua was “rescued alive and sustained minor injuries”. He was taken for “medical attention”.
Officials think jeep was travelling over speed limit and crashed while overtaking
The update from the Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria says a Lexus Jeep involved in the incident was suspected to be travelling “beyond the legally prescribed speed limit”.
They say the car lost control during “an overtaking manoeuvre” and crashed into a stationary truck by the side of the road.
We’ve just had a statement from road safety officials in Nigeria, with more details of the crash.
In it, officials say a total of five adult males were involved in the crash, including Anthony Joshua.
We’ll bring you more in the next few moments.
What we know – and don’t know – so far
If you’re just joining us, here’s what we do and don’t know about British boxer Anthony Joshua’s car crash in Nigeria:
What we know:
- Joshua has been injured in a crash on the Ogun–Lagos state expressway on Monday morning. Two others were killed
- Local police tell the BBC that Joshua has been taken to hospital – they earlier said he suffered minor injuries but is “fine”
- According to local media, Joshua was in the back of a vehicle when it collided with a stationary truck
- Pictures of the heavyweight boxer sitting topless at the back of a car, surrounded by what appears to be broken glass, have been posted online – we are working to verify them now
What we don’t know:
- The identities of the two people killed – or which vehicle they were travelling in
- The details of Joshua’s injuries
- The exact cause of the crash
- The number of other people injured – police say they are heading to the local hospital to learn more
