 "Anthony Joshua was holidaying in Nigeria when the accident occurred. Image: Reuters")
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was involved in a frightening car crash in Nigeria on Monday, December 29, and police have now shared a new theory about what may have caused the accident.
According to The Mirror, Nigerian police believe the crash was triggered by a tyre blowout caused by excessive speed. The incident took place on Monday afternoon on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway in southwest Nigeria, just days after Joshua won his boxing match against famous YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami.
Joshua was reportedly travelling in a black Lexus Jeep when it collided with a stationary truck on the highway. The 36-year-old boxer suffered only minor injuries, but the crash tragically claimed the lives of his two friends. They have been identified as Kevin Ayodele and Sina Ghami.
Police share new theory
Earlier, Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had suggested that the Lexus may have been overspeeding while trying to overtake another vehicle. However, Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps has now said preliminary investigations point to a tyre burst.
He said the vehicle “experienced a tyre burst due to excessive speed” and “lost control.” Akinbiyi was quoted as saying in the report, as he explained that the car was travelling from Lagos towards Sagamu at the time of the accident.
Games
View AllJoshua was seated in the back of the car when the crash happened. Videos that surfaced on social media shortly after the incident showed him shirtless, looking shaken and sitting inside the damaged vehicle with shattered glass around him. The British boxer is currently in hospital and remains in a stable condition.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has personally spoken to Joshua and his mother, Yeta Odusanya. Tinubu expressed his condolences over the deaths of Joshua’s friends and said the boxer assured him that he is receiving the best possible medical care.