By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The British former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria on Monday that resulted in two fatalities, local police have confirmed.
“The accident happened as a result of a tyre burst on AJ’s vehicle, which caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road,” Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo.
“For now, I’m aware of two fatalities and Joshua himself has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention. The Command will issue a press release soon.”
Joshua is holidaying in Africa following his sixth-round knockout victory over YouTube-turned-boxing superstar Jake Paul in Miami less than a fortnight ago.
Joshua, who is the son of British-Nigerian parents, attended a boarding school in Ikenne, 53 miles from where the crash happened, before returning to Britain at age 12.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told told Daily Mail Sport: “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.”
Joshua’s win over Paul was his 29th win from 33 professional fights and seemed to move him closer to a long-awaited showdown with British rival Tyson Fury, who is currently retired, next year.
This is a developing story that is being updated and more details will be published shortly.