The past few weeks have been loud for Anthony Joshua. Loud punches. Louder opinions. Then, on Monday morning just after 11am, everything went quiet in the worst way.
Joshua, 36, survived a serious car crash on Nigeria’s Lagos–Ibadan expressway while travelling from Lagos to visit family in Ogun State. Two men died at the scene. Joshua escaped with minor injuries. Police and road safety officials confirmed he was seated in the back of a Lexus SUV that lost control while overtaking and slammed into a stationary truck near the Sagamu Interchange.
Five adult males were involved. Two died instantly. Two walked away. Joshua was taken to hospital.
A relative told the BBC the news “came to the family as a shock,” adding, “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace.” The family expected him home for the New Year. He always comes around.
Footage circulating online shows Joshua shirtless, dazed, sitting among shattered glass. Not the image fans are used to seeing days after a win.
And what a win it was. On 19 December in Miami, Joshua returned to the ring after his September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois and stopped YouTube boxer Jake Paul in six rounds, breaking Paul’s jaw in two places. The fight streamed on Netflix, pulled over 30 million views, and reportedly paid Joshua up to £70 million.
Critics questioned the matchup. Joshua didn’t flinch. “I’m not worried about the integrity of the fight,” he said. “The whole point of it was to create conversation.”
Conversation followed him back to Nigeria.
Road safety officials suspect speeding during an overtaking move. An eyewitness described a two-vehicle convoy and said, “The passenger beside the driver and the person beside Joshua died on the spot.”
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said, “Thankfully he appears okay from what I have seen in the images.”
Joshua had been eyeing a February bout in Riyadh and calling out Tyson Fury, who may return after losses to Oleksandr Usyk in May 2024. Boxing can wait.
Two lives can’t.
Joshua is alive. Shaken. Processing it all. That matters.
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