Fresh after a historic boxing victory against YouTuber Jake Paul, British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua was reportedly involved in a car crash which killed two people. The former heavyweight world champion had been celebrating his victory against Paul when tragedy struck.
Police in Nigeria confirmed that Joshua’s vehicle smashed into another on Monday (Dec. 29). The athlete walked away with minor injuries, but two of his longtime associates– coaches Sina Ghami and Kevin “Latz” Ayodele– were pronounced dead, according to the Daily Mail. The two men were inside of Joshua’s car at the time of the crash. A total of five people were in
The 36-year-old gained international attention after his boxing match with Paul. He won the Dec. 19 battle with a sixth-round knockout. Joshua’s promoter, a man named Eddie Hearn, spoke to the Daily Mail after learning about the Monday accident. As of 10:00 a.m. EST, he was still trying to get in co
“I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident,” Hearn said. “We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images. We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN a tire on Joshua’s vehicle burst while driving on a highway. The driver– not Joshua– allegedly lost control before crashing head first into a stationary truck.
Footage taken from the scene has been quickly making its rounds online. In one of the clips, a dazed Joshua is seen with his shirt off in the back seat. He was later spotted speaking to officials inside an emergency vehicle, according to reports. Eyewitnesses confirmed Joshua is “okay but badly shaken up,” the Daily Mail also reported.
The 36-year-old won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics before becoming a multiple-time heavyweight champion– once in March 2018 and again in December 2019, according to his ESPN bio.
Just hours before the crash, the athlete posted online in good spirits with some of his close friends. He was spending time in the African nation after making a quick stop in Britain following the win against Paul. Joshua is still scheduled to fight in Saudi Arabia in February. This is all leading up to another highly anticipated battle against boxer Tyson Fury later next year.
