According to authorities, the former boxing world champion paid his last respects to his deceased friends.
Former heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital two days after a serious car accident in Nigeria in which two of his friends were killed. This was confirmed by spokespeople for the Lagos and Ogun state governments in a joint statement late Wednesday evening. “Although he is deeply affected and saddened by the loss of his two close friends, he has been deemed medically fit to recover at home,” said Lagos state spokesman 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 Nigerian police, Joshua, 36, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for observation.
Driver of the vehicle involved in the accident faces charges
Initial investigations on Tuesday revealed that the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed and had a tire blowout before the accident, according to the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE).
After leaving the hospital, Joshua and his mother paid their last respects at the funeral home, where the bodies of his friends were being prepared for transfer to the UK, the statement said. According to Nigerian police, both had died at the scene of the accident. Ghami was Joshua’s long-time strength and conditioning coach, Ayodele his personal coach.
The driver of the car is in police custody after being discharged from hospital, police spokesman Oluseyi Babaseyi confirmed to AFP news agency on Thursday. When asked whether criminal proceedings would be brought against him, Babaseyi replied that the “investigation remains confidential for the time being.”
The Nigerian newspaper The Guardian had previously reported that the driver “could be charged with reckless driving,” but did not provide any further details.
Joshua last boxed against YouTuber
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 knocked out YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-sponsored fight in Miami. He was then linked to a fight against former world champion Tyson Fury. Joshua’s last fight before the duel with Paul was a fifth-round knockout defeat to his compatriot Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
