(CNN) — Former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua suffered bruises in a car crash that resulted in the deaths of two individuals on Monday, according to local police in Ogun State, Nigeria.
The incident occurred around 11 a.m. (5 a.m ET) on a busy stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, which connects Ogun to the commercial center of Lagos, police reported.
Joshua, who has family ties in Ogun, sustained only “minor bruises,” but Boluwatife said two other occupants in the vehicle with him, including the driver, were killed. Those who died were foreign nationals, Ogun officials said.
“Anthony Joshua is well and responding to treatment,” Babaseyi Boluwatife, a spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, told CNN.
Joshua previously held three of the four major world championship belts in boxing and secured a gold medal in the super heavyweight category at the 2012 Summer Olympics while competing for Great Britain.
The fatal crash happened just over a week after he achieved a knockout win against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their heavyweight bout in Miami on December 19. Joshua broke Paul’s jaw during the fight.
“Life is much more important than boxing,” Paul posted to X. “I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also extended his sympathies, wishing Joshua a speedy recovery and calling him a “source of national pride.”
The highway on which the crash occurred has recently been identified as the most dangerous road in Nigeria, with more than 600 fatalities over a period of 27 months, according to statistics reported by local media.
According to a statement from Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Joshua was traveling in a Lexus SUV that collided with a parked truck while attempting to overtake.
It said preliminary findings indicated that the Lexus Jeep, “which was suspected to be traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor,” lost control while overtaking and crashed into the stationary truck at the side of the road.
The agency added, “The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways.”
A video showing Joshua being rescued from the wreckage has been circulating on social media. The boxer, born to Nigerian parents in Watford, near London, has stayed connected to his roots.
The Joshuas have a prominent presence in Sagamu town, in Ogun, with their lineage spanning multiple generations. Joshua embraces his Nigerian heritage, which he visibly honors with a tattoo of Africa – specifically highlighting Nigeria – on his right shoulder.
Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment.
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