Anthony Joshua Recovers After Tragic Nigerian Road Accident
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been released from hospital in Nigeria, officials confirmed, following a severe road accident that tragically claimed the lives of two of his close companions. The incident occurred on a busy highway connecting Lagos and Ibadan in the southwestern region of the country.
Joshua was reportedly travelling on Monday in a sports utility vehicle (SUV) with his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, when their vehicle collided with a stationary truck. Preliminary investigations conducted by the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in Ogun state, the location of the crash, indicated that the SUV was travelling at an excessive speed. A burst tyre is believed to have been a contributing factor leading to the catastrophic collision.
Both the Lagos and Ogun state governments have been actively involved in overseeing the boxer’s medical care since the accident. In a joint statement released late Wednesday night, spokesmen for both states announced Joshua’s discharge.
“Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon,” the statement read. “Though heavy-hearted and full of emotion over the loss of his two close friends, he was deemed clinically fit to recuperate at home.”
Following his release from medical care, the former heavyweight champion, accompanied by his mother, visited a funeral home. There, they paid their respects to the deceased friends, whose bodies were reportedly being prepared for repatriation.
Nigerian police confirmed that the two victims tragically died at the scene of the accident. Joshua, aged 36, had been admitted to Lagoon Hospital in Lagos. This information clarified earlier reports from a TRACE official who had cited a different medical facility.
The boxer’s family has roots in the southwestern Nigerian city, and he is known to visit the region regularly when he is in Nigeria. Lagos, the nation’s vibrant economic hub, experiences a significant influx of visitors from both within Nigeria and the diaspora each December.
Images released by the police following the incident depicted the extensive damage to a black sports utility vehicle, illustrating the severity of the crash.
In more recent boxing news, in December, Joshua secured a victory by knocking out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a highly publicised bout held in Miami and broadcast on Netflix. The former Olympic champion has subsequently been rumoured to be in line for a potential fight against his compatriot and fellow former world champion, Tyson Fury. Joshua’s most recent professional bout prior to the match with Paul was a fifth-round knockout loss to another Briton, Daniel Dubois, in September 2024.
