Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua is recovering in a Lagos hospital after surviving a fatal road accident on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway that claimed the lives of two of his close associates.
The British-Nigerian boxer was involved in the crash on Tuesday while travelling from Lagos to his paternal hometown of Sagamu, Ogun State, shortly after arriving in the country. Joshua was a passenger in a Lexus Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) which collided with a stationary truck along the expressway.
Two occupants of the vehicle — identified by sources as the boxer’s fitness trainer and a friend — died at the scene, while Joshua and the driver sustained injuries and were rushed to a Lagos hospital for treatment. The bodies of the deceased were deposited at the Livewell Mortuary in Ajaka, Sagamu.
The SUV, which was severely damaged in the impact, was later towed to the Sagamu Motor Traffic Division (MTD) office for further investigation.
It was gathered that Joshua had earlier played tennis in Lagos with the two foreigners before embarking on the journey. The late trainer was said to have been a key figure in the boxer’s conditioning and overall performance over the years.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is currently in Europe on holiday, reportedly spoke with Joshua by telephone while he was receiving treatment in hospital. The President also commiserated with him over the loss of his friend and trainer and extended his condolences to the boxer’s mother.
Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) attributed the crash to traffic violations. The agency cited excessive speed and wrongful overtaking as the primary causes.
FRSC spokesperson, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the accident involved a black Lexus Jeep with registration number KRD 850 HN and a stationary red commercial Sinotruck with no visible registration number.
“The primary causes of the crash — excessive speed and wrongful overtaking — constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways,” Ogungbemide said.
In a joint statement, signed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, and the Ogun State Governor’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade , confirmed that Anthony Joshua was in stable condition and responding to treatment at a Lagos hospital, while extending condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.