Anthony Joshua car crash eyewitness describes moment ‘two-vehicle convoy' ended in tragedy
‘The person beside Joshua died on the spot'
Anthony Joshua crash(Image: Adeniyi Orojo)
A witness to the crash which left two people dead and British boxer Anthony Joshua injured has described the moment the two-car collision took place.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion was visiting relatives in Africa when the incident occurred. It comes just ten days after his sixth-round knockout victory over YouTube-turned-boxing superstar Jake Paul in Miami.
According to local reports, the incident happened along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at 11am local time on Monday (December 29). The road is regarded as the country's ‘most dangerous highway' in Nigeria.
More than 1,200 people were involved in accidents on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the first quarter of this year with 78 recorded fatalities.
Local police have since confirmed that two people died in the crash.
Adeniyi Orojo, 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 person beside Joshua died on the spot.”
Images from the scene appear to show AJ grimacing in pain after being removed from the vehicle, another shows a topless Joshua sitting in the back seat of the car and surrounded by broken glass.
Anthony Joshua crash(Image: @ChuksEricE/X)
Earlier on Monday, the 36-year-old shared a video to Instagram showing him playing table tennis in a garden with a friend.
A relative of AJ told the BBC that the news of the crash has “come to the family as a shock”.
They said: “We are hoping for his speedy recovery and also the people who passed away – I pray for the departed to rest in peace.”
On the boxer's movements they added: “He’s normally coming around for the new year. We haven’t seen him so we were expecting him.”