Boxing superstar Anthony Joshuacame within inches of death after he was pulled from the twisted wreckage of a car crash which killed two people in Nigeria.
Horrifying images show the shell shocked British sporting icon, 36, just moments after emerging from the mangled ruins of an SUV, after a smash which left two dead at the scene in Ogun State. Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua is believed to have been enjoying a week-long holiday after knocking out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 28, in a £70million bout earlier this month.
Dazed Joshua, whose parents are both Nigerian, was in the backseat of a Lexus which crashed into a stationary truck. Images released by Nigerian authorities showed the crumpled vehicle - with Joshua in agony surrounded by shattered glass. The passenger sat just centimetres away, next to Joshua, is believed to have been killed, while the front seat passenger is also thought to have died.
Emergency workers raced to the scene near a petrol station on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway shortly after 11am yesterday in Makun. The 80-mile expressway is one of the country's deadliest routes, having claimed 73 lives in the last three months and seen 645 deaths in 27 months.
Joshua was taken to hospital for treatment, according to Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of Ogun State Police. The two victims have yet to be identified.
Police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi said: “Two died, while Joshua and one other have been hospitalised and are receiving treatment at a hospital that would not be disclosed.” Joshua landed in Nigeria on Sunday after he knocked out Paul in a mega fight in Miami on December 19.
He was joined by members from his team, with no family members believed to have been with him. It is understood that Joshua was seated behind the driver, along with another passenger, when the crash occurred.
Four people were inside the Lexus at the time, while his security followed in a separate vehicle. Authorities said the SUV is believed to have been travelling "beyond the legally prescribed speed limit" and lost control while making "an overtaking manoeuvre", before crashing into a truck parked on the side of the road.
Dramatic footage posted online shows passersby help a visibly shaken Joshua from the mangled wreck surrounded by shattered glass. A witness told PUNCH newspaper: “It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV. Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him.
“There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed.“ His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.” He added: “Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist.“ A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived.
“The passenger beside the driver and [the one beside] Joshua died on the spot.” Chief Police Lanre Ogunlowo, Commissioner of Ogun State Police, said: "I can confirm an accident occurred and Anthony Joshua has been taken to hospital."
He added: "A vehicle rammed into a stationary vehicle. Unfortunately, there were two fatalities. Anthony Joshua was treated by first-responders at the scene and then taken to hospital." A friend of Joshua's said that "he's okay but badly shaken up". "Nobody knows quite what damage has been done, but was able to escape the wreckage," they added.
"Others weren't quite so lucky, so it's been a traumatic ordeal which he's trying to process." Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he was away on a family holiday when he woke up to the news. He added: “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.”
The boxing great posted a video on social media only four hours before showing him enjoying a game of table tennis with long-time friend Kevin Ayodele. The accompanying caption read: “@healthy_mindset dishing out table tennis smoke.”
A spokesperson for the Ogun State Government said: "The Ogun State Government has expressed profound condolences to the families, friends, and associates of the victims of a tragic road accident involving world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, who narrowly escaped death on Monday.
"Preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot. Their remains have since been deposited at the Livewell Morgue in Sagamu. Anthony Joshua and the driver of the vehicle were promptly rescued by security personnel attached to his convoy and taken to a hospital, where they are currently receiving medical attention.
"The sport utility vehicle conveying the occupants was said to have rammed into a stationary truck along the expressway. While the severely damaged vehicle has been evacuated to the Sagamu Motor Traffic Division (MTD) office, efforts are ongoing to tow the truck involved to the same location to facilitate a comprehensive investigation.
"The Ogun State Government describes the incident as deeply unfortunate and painful, particularly with the loss of precious lives, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries and are receiving medical care. Our hearts go out to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident, which the State considers a devastating loss.
"As we mourn collectively, we pray for the repose of the souls of the departed and for the speedy recovery of the injured. May Almighty God grant the families left behind the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss."
Joshua - who has a tattoo of Africa on his right shoulder - is a regular visitor to Sagamu, a town in Ogun State, where his family are from. Both his parents, Yeta Odusanya and Robert Joshua. are of Nigerian origin.
It comes just days after the heavyweight knocked out Paul, 28, in six rounds, breaking his jaw in two places. The Miami mismatch was viewed by 33 million on Netflix – with Joshua already lined up for a return in Riyadh in February or March.Joshua shared a snap of himself and one of his friends at the swimming pool to his Instagram story on Christmas Eve.
After breaking Paul's jaw, Joshua is being lined up for a showdown with Tyson Fury, 37, in September.Fury retired in January one month after his second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk, 38, but the Gypsy King has continued to tease a comeback.
