Anthony Joshua has been discharged from a Lagos hospital after surviving a car crash in southwest Nigeria that killed two of his close friends, state officials said.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion, 36, was traveling Monday with friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele on the highway linking Lagos and Ibadan when their SUV slammed into a stationary truck, authorities said. The accident occurred in Ogun state.
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Preliminary findings by the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ogun indicated the vehicle was moving at excessive speed and burst a tire before impact. Photos released by police showed the mangled wreckage of a black sport-utility vehicle.
“Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon,” spokesmen for the Lagos and Ogun state governments said in a joint statement late Tuesday. Both state governments have overseen the boxer’s care since the crash.
After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother visited a funeral home where the bodies of Ghami and Ayodele were being prepared for repatriation, the statement said. Nigerian police said both men died at the scene.
The joint statement said Joshua had been admitted to Lagoon Hospital in Lagos, contradicting earlier information from a TRACE official who named a different facility. No additional medical details were released.
Joshua has roots in southwest Nigeria and is known to visit when he is in the country. Lagos, the country’s commercial capital, draws large numbers of visitors from across Nigeria and the diaspora each December, adding to traffic on corridors such as the Lagos–Ibadan route.
The crash adds a jarring coda to a high-profile year for the British-Nigerian star. In December, Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed bout in Miami. He has since been linked to a potential all-British showdown with former world champion Tyson Fury. Before facing Paul, Joshua suffered a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Officials did not say whether any further updates on the crash investigation would be provided or when Joshua might resume training. TRACE said its initial assessment focused on speed and a tire failure, but no definitive cause has been announced.
Police did not immediately release further details about the truck involved or whether any driver was present at the time of impact. The Lagos–Ibadan corridor, a major artery for commuters and freight between the coastal metropolis and the southwest, was described in the joint statement as “busy” at the time of the collision.
Joshua, a former Olympic gold medalist and unified heavyweight titleholder, has maintained strong ties to Nigeria throughout his professional career. His visit this week turned tragic, with friends and family mourning Ghami and Ayodele as arrangements were made to move their bodies. The state governments did not specify a destination for repatriation.
State authorities urged motorists to exercise caution and adhere to speed limits, emphasizing that investigations into the crash remain active.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
