Nigerian-born former two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, gave thanks on Monday morning, after his ward survived a fatal accident in Nigeria.
Sports247 gathered that two people who were travelling with Joshua in a Lexus SUV died due to the crash that occurred on the Makun axis of the Lagos-Sagamu Expressway.
The boxing fraternity in Great Britain was thrown into immediate shock as the news spread through social media, and Hearn admitted it was a huge relief to hear that Joshua survived the fatal mishap.
Hearn told Daily Mail Sport: “We are trying to contact Anthony. In the meantime, we don’t want to speculate on how he is.
“Thankfully, he appears okay, 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 commissioner of police, Lanre Ogunlowo, stated: “I can confirm an accident occurred after a car rammed into a stationary vehicle. Unfortunately, there were two fatalities. Anthony Joshua was treated by first responders at the scene and then taken to the hospital.
He disclosed further that the vehicle lost control while overtaking and then smashed into a truck that was parked on the side of the expressway.
A friend of Joshua’s added, “He’s okay, but badly shaken. He was able to escape the wreckage, but others weren’t quite so lucky.”
‘AJ,’ who often visits his ancestral family roots in Sagamu, Ogun State, has a bold tattoo of Africa crafted into his right shoulder and usually hoists Nigeria’s flag alongside that of Great Britain during his bouts.
On-the-spot reports indicated that Joshua was seated behind the driver, along with another passenger, when the crash occurred, after which both men on the right side of the car were confirmed dead.
An eyewitness disclosed: “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.”
Sports247 gathered further that Joshua is scheduled to fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February, but is currently in Nigeria on holiday, after his recent sixth-round knockout win over American social media influencer, Jake Paul, in Miami, USA
