Two of his friends died
After a horror accident: This is how ex-boxing world champion Joshua feels
01/01/2026 – 09:53 amReading time: 2 minutes
In Nigeria, boxer Anthony Joshua was involved in a fatal traffic accident but survived. Now there are new developments.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been released from hospital two days after a serious car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his friends. Spokesmen for the governments of Lagos and Ogun states confirmed this in a joint statement late on Wednesday evening.
“Although he is deeply saddened and grieved at the loss of his two close friends, he has been declared medically fit to recover at home,” said Lagos State Speaker Gbenga Omotoso and his Ogun counterpart Kayode Akinmade.
Joshua, whose family is from Nigeria, was traveling with his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele on a busy highway between Lagos and Ibadan in the southwest of the country on Monday when their SUV collided with a stationary truck. According to the Nigerian police, Joshua suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for observation.
Initial investigations on Tuesday revealed that the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed and a tire burst before the accident, according to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE).
After he left the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their respects to the men at the funeral home where his friends’ bodies were being prepared for repatriation to Britain, the statement said. According to the Nigerian police, both died at the scene of the accident. Ghami was Joshua’s long-time strength and conditioning coach, Ayodele his personal coach.
Nigerian newspaper The Guardian quoted a senior police official as saying the driver of the car had also been released from hospital and was being questioned by police. The newspaper added that the driver “could be charged with reckless driving” but gave no further details.
Joshua sent Wladimir Klitschko into boxing retirement in a spectacular duel in 2017 and then dominated the heavyweight division for a time, but the 2012 Olympic champion has suffered numerous setbacks in recent years.
In mid-December, Joshua beat YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul by knockout in a Netflix-supported fight in Miami. He was subsequently linked to a fight against former world champion Tyson Fury. Joshua’s last fight before facing Paul was a fifth-round knockout loss to his compatriot Daniel Dubois in September 2024.