Anthony Joshua in Nigeria car accident days after Jake Paul knockout, boxer 'praying for the lost lives, AJ'

susan brownell anthony josue, the brits pugilist and former domain heavyweight champion, was hospitalized Monday with "minor injuries" after a car accident that killed two other passengers in Nigeria.

The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotosho, confirmed the accident in a post on X, adding that the government had sent ambulances to the crash site. Local media reports say the boxer has been transferred to a hospital. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

The crash occurred on a major thoroughfare, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which links Ogun state to Lagos, the country's economic capital, at about 11 a.m. Local time.

Ogun State Police said in a statement: "The vehicle conveying Mr. Joshua, a Lexus SUV, was involved in the accident under circumstances that are currently being investigated. Joshua, seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and is receiving medical attention with another injured person."

According to a statement by Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, preliminary investigations indicated the vehicle was "traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck," which was by the side of the road.

The Ogun state government said that "preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot." The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify their identities.

Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua's parents and where he briefly went to boarding school at the age of 11.

Joshua beat YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Dec. 19 in a bout in Miami, which he was using to regain sharpness in the ring. He lost the world heavyweight title in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk.

"Life is much more important than boxing. I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today's unfortunate accident," Paul said Monday.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn told Daily Mail Sport he is attempting to find out the extent of Joshua's injuries, saying: "I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident."

"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."

Photos on social media show the boxer being extricated from a wrecked vehicle while he was wincing in pain.

"Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries," Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of police for Ogun state, told The Associated Press. He said he has no further information on the injuries.

Joshua has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.

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