British boxer Anthony Joshua posted a haunting video to his Instagram story just hours before he was involved in a crash, which reportedly left two people dead.
Nigerian authorities confirmed that Joshua was involved in a crash on the Ogun-Lagos state expressway near Sagamu in south-west Nigeria on December 29.
Ogun State Police Command confirmed to BBC News that two people had died in the crash, while Joshua is injured.
Other injured people have also been taken to hospital. The identity of the two individuals who have reportedly died is still unknown.
Advert
The 36-year-old reportedly suffered minor injuries but is “fine”, as per local police.
Eye witness Adeniyi Orojo told Nigerian outlet The Punch that a Lexus and a Pajero were involved in the crash and claimed that Joshua was “seated behind the driver” while sitting next to another person in the back of a vehicle.
"There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed,” Orojo said.
“His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.
“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.”
Punch News reports that the crash happened at around 11 a.m. local time.
Video footage began circulating following the crash, appearing to show Joshua dazed and in pain.
Just a few hours earlier, ‘AJ’ posted several videos of himself playing table tennis with his personal trainer to his Instagram page, with the fighter unaware of what was about to unfold. Although it is unclear when the video was recorded.
Joshua’s long-time promoter and Matchroom Boxing chief, Eddie Hearn, issued a statement shortly after the news broke.
Speaking to the Mail, Hearn said: “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.
“We are awaiting more information on what has happened and will update in due course.”
CP Lanre Ogunlowo, Commissioner of Ogun State Police, also told the outlet that “Anthony Joshua was treated by first-responders at the scene” before being taken to hospital.
This comes just over a week on from Joshua’s knockout victory over Jake Paul in Miami, after which he travelled to the African nation to enjoy the festivities.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Nigeria
Luke Davies