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Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua survived a deadly car crash in Nigeria with minor injuries, while two of his associates sadly lost their lives. The tragic incident unfolded on Monday morning along the notorious Lagos-Ibadan expressway, known for high accident rates, according to Ogun state police.

 

Joshua, closely tied to the region through his family roots, encountered the accident in a Lexus SUV that reportedly collided with a parked truck. While Joshua only suffered minor bruises, his strength coach Sina Ghami and personal trainer Kevin Latif Ayodele, both foreign nationals, were killed. The former champion, who remains in good spirits and is receiving care, is deeply mourning the loss of his friends.

 

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed his condolences, having spoken with Joshua directly. Just days before this devastating event, the boxer celebrated his recent victory against YouTuber Jake Paul. In his message, Tinubu extended prayers for Joshua's recovery and emphasised the importance of living beyond boxing.

 

The crash took place on Nigeria’s most perilous highway, where fatalities soar due to speed and traffic violations. Preliminary investigations by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps suggest excessive speed and wrongful overtaking as causes for the crash. This road is notorious, claiming the lives of over 600 people over 27 months.

 

Anthony Joshua, known for his Nigerian heritage, regularly visits the country and has strong familial and cultural ties. While grieving, he continues to receive outpourings of support from fans and colleagues. This unfortunate event serves as a grave reminder of the dangers posed by unsafe driving practices, reported CNN.

 

 

Key Takeaways

• Anthony Joshua survived a serious car crash with minor injuries in Nigeria, while two associates were killed.
• The accident occurred on a highly dangerous Nigerian highway due to excessive speed and wrongful overtaking.
• Joshua’s recovery continues, receiving widespread condolences and support.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from CNN 2025-12-30

 

 

 

I'm glad he escaped with minor injuries, can you even imagine how terrifying it would be to be in a car wreck where two of the guys in the car were killed?

And I'm equally glad that he humiliated Jake Paul in the recent fight, it certainly demonstrated that Paul has no business being in the ring with a serious boxer. He should stick to fighting senior citizens.

Thankfully he survived relatively unscathed and RIP to his entourage. Lucky man.

He really should holiday in a more civilised country instead of playing the rich man speeding through a third world country in a Lexus, dripping in gold and flaunting his wealth.

Thank the lord no pedestrians were killed during his little ego boosting adventure. He will no doubt have learned a bit more about the reality of the place he lionizes.

On 12/30/2025 at 6:50 AM, webfact said:

Preliminary investigations by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps suggest excessive speed and wrongful overtaking as causes for the crash.

Reckless driving .

15 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Thankfully he survived relatively unscathed and RIP to his entourage. Lucky man.

He really should holiday in a more civilised country instead of playing the rich man speeding through a third world country in a Lexus, dripping in gold and flaunting his wealth.

Thank the lord no pedestrians were killed during his little ego boosting adventure. He will no doubt have learned a bit more about the reality of the place he lionizes.

Both his parents are Nigerian - he was visiting family / his heritage - hardly a 'dripping in gold and flaunting his wealth'... how was this an 'ego boost'...

... have you never hired a car and driver before when on holiday ???? is it an 'ego boost' when you visit your country of origin ?

This was 'most' likely - a local driver, driving 'like a local'.... I've seen it in many countries across Asia and the Middle East - the hired driver follows local standards and at times can be frightfully reckless...

For some reason your comments seem extremely critical and bias without sensible basis.

On 1/1/2026 at 2:36 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Both his parents are Nigerian - he was visiting family / his heritage - hardly a 'dripping in gold and flaunting his wealth'... how was this an 'ego boost'...

... have you never hired a car and driver before when on holiday ???? is it an 'ego boost' when you visit your country of origin ?

This was 'most' likely - a local driver, driving 'like a local'.... I've seen it in many countries across Asia and the Middle East - the hired driver follows local standards and at times can be frightfully reckless...

For some reason your comments seem extremely critical and bias without sensible basis.

The chaotic scenes from immediately after the crash certainly indicate he is now much more aware of the reality of his beloved homeland.

Perhaps the <deleted> will be a little more appreciative of the country that gave him the opportunity to realize his dreams and stop giving racist speeches at blm rallies?

Probably not though.

21 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

The chaotic scenes from immediately after the crash certainly indicate he is now much more aware of the reality of his beloved homeland.

Perhaps the <deleted> will be a little more appreciative of the country that gave him the opportunity to realize his dreams and stop giving racist speeches at blm rallies?

Probably not though.

Nigeria not 'his' homeland - it his parents homeland. AJ's homeland is the UK.

He also spoke out against 'global' racism at one BLM Rally (not plural) in June 2020 - thats it.

Something tells me attitudes like your's is the reason he and others felt compelled to speak out in the first place.

I am curious though - why do you believe he has not been appreciative of the UK ??? Not sure really why you dislike the guy...

AJ's has supported UK far more than you or I ever could... and his support goes beyond boxing. He has invested in grassroots sport and community clubs, partnered with campaigns to help disadvantaged youth, supported trainers and the NHS during the pandemic, and uses his platform to boost positive local projects. His efforts primarily focus on sport, community development and youth empowerment including 'fight for peace' which is a UK Youth Charity...

He's also paid an estimated 40 to 60 Million ££ in UK tax (HMRC + National Insurance)...

He advised everyone to avoid non black owned businesses in his racist blm speech.

He also tweeted about a potential opponent Eddie Chanbers being a disgrace to the "superior" black race.

Ironic seeing as all his fights are promoted by his white boss Eddie Hearn.

The guy is a racist and I despise racists. So yes I am not a fan.

Keep defending racism though. Apologist.

33 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

He advised everyone to avoid non black owned businesses in his racist blm speech.

He also tweeted about a potential opponent Eddie Chanbers being a disgrace to the "superior" black race.

Ironic seeing as all his fights are promoted by his white boss Eddie Hearn.

The guy is a racist and I despise racists. So yes I am not a fan.

Keep defending racism though. Apologist.

OK.. so breaking this down properly instead of jumping to “racist” labels.

1) The BLM speech in Watford? AJ read a prepared speech, not something he improvised, that included a line about investing in black-owned businesses. That’s community empowerment, not “hating white businesses" - though the wording was extremely clumsy. He also explicitly urged peaceful protest and fighting racism. The point was about uplifting the community, not attacking anyone based on race - I agree that the optics of the wording used was extremely poor and appeared racist - I don't think it was racist - it was clumsy and AJ should have known better.

2) The Eddie Chambers Instagram incident? Joshua’s team said the account was hacked. AJ never publicly tweeted or confirmed calling anyone a “disgrace to the superior black race” The allegation came solely from Chambers posting screenshots of a Instagram message allegedly from Joshua. That’s not a verified act of racism.

3) And yes, he works with Eddie Hearn, a white promoter. If AJ were truly racist, why would he continue building his career with Hearn and the broader boxing ecosystem? Actions matter more than unverified claims.

Calling AJ a racist based on a speech he read and a hacked account allegation is misleading at best. People can disagree with his style of speaking or the wording he read and I think that’s fair - but painting him as a racist ignores context and facts.... Its the same as the recent allegations against Nigel Farage because he made stupid comments when he was at school - that doesn't make him racist, it makes him just like any other kid who says stupid stuff at school.

So.. I get it - You don't like AJ and want to thread the racist needle through all the good work he has done. It’s like taking one frame of a movie and declaring the whole story something it isn’t. AJ’s record shows:

... Massive contributions to UK grassroots boxing and youth programmes

... Financial backing for disadvantaged communities

... Speaking out against racism and promoting peaceful protest

Wanting to uplift your own community is not hate, and judging him solely on a few taken-out-of-context lines ignores the overwhelming record of positive impact he’s had.

I abhor racism and any form of bigotry. If I were a public figure, I could easily be torn apart for things I’ve said in the past - jokes made, offhand comments, private remarks - which, if stripped of context, might appear shocking or offensive.

For example, I made a Ferrero Rocher joke the other day (about Mummy being unearthed, covered in nuts and chocolate), and someone actually accused me of being racist toward Egyptians... It’s a perfect illustration of how anything can be weaponised when context is removed.

13 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

OK.. so breaking this down properly instead of jumping to “racist” labels.

1) The BLM speech in Watford? AJ read a prepared speech, not something he improvised, that included a line about investing in black-owned businesses. That’s community empowerment, not “hating white businesses" - though the wording was extremely clumsy. He also explicitly urged peaceful protest and fighting racism. The point was about uplifting the community, not attacking anyone based on race - I agree that the optics of the wording used was extremely poor and appeared racist - I don't think it was racist - it was clumsy and AJ should have known better.

2) The Eddie Chambers Instagram incident? Joshua’s team said the account was hacked. AJ never publicly tweeted or confirmed calling anyone a “disgrace to the superior black race” The allegation came solely from Chambers posting screenshots of a Instagram message allegedly from Joshua. That’s not a verified act of racism.

3) And yes, he works with Eddie Hearn, a white promoter. If AJ were truly racist, why would he continue building his career with Hearn and the broader boxing ecosystem? Actions matter more than unverified claims.

Calling AJ a racist based on a speech he read and a hacked account allegation is misleading at best. People can disagree with his style of speaking or the wording he read and I think that’s fair - but painting him as a racist ignores context and facts.... Its the same as the recent allegations against Nigel Farage because he made stupid comments when he was at school - that doesn't make him racist, it makes him just like any other kid who says stupid stuff at school.

So.. I get it - You don't like AJ and want to thread the racist needle through all the good work he has done. It’s like taking one frame of a movie and declaring the whole story something it isn’t. AJ’s record shows:

... Massive contributions to UK grassroots boxing and youth programmes

... Financial backing for disadvantaged communities

... Speaking out against racism and promoting peaceful protest

Wanting to uplift your own community is not hate, and judging him solely on a few taken-out-of-context lines ignores the overwhelming record of positive impact he’s had.

I abhor racism and any form of bigotry. If I were a public figure, I could easily be torn apart for things I’ve said in the past - jokes made, offhand comments, private remarks - which, if stripped of context, might appear shocking or offensive.

For example, I made a Ferrero Rocher joke the other day (about Mummy being unearthed, covered in nuts and chocolate), and someone actually accused me of being racist toward Egyptians... It’s a perfect illustration of how anything can be weaponised when context is removed.

Classic apologist nonsense for blatant racism.