British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua was involved in a car crash in Nigeria, killing two of his team members.

The former world champion was traveling in a car that collided with a stationary truck on a major highway in Ogun state near Lagos.

Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing, said in a statement that the two men who died were Joshua’s close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.

The statement added that Joshua was in stable condition in hospital, where he was taken for “examination and treatment” and will remain under observation.

Matchroom’s statement said: “Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends of all those affected and we ask that their privacy be respected at this extremely difficult time.”

The organization’s chairman, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, paid tribute to “two great men” who died in the accident. “May Sina and Raz rest in eternal peace. My thoughts and deepest prayers are with everyone,” he said.

Boxing expert Steve Bangs described Mr Gami and Mr Ayodele as “two of Joshua’s closest friends” and “an important part of the Anthony Joshua machine”.

“They’ve been with him, if not from the beginning, at least very early on. Latz is AJ’s personal trainer and Sina is his strength and conditioning trainer. They’ve been with him all the way,” Bangs told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Hours before the accident, Joshua posted a video on Instagram of him and Mr Ayodele playing table tennis. Mr Gami made this known recently on social media in Lagos.

A joint statement issued by the Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua was stable and conscious and had been in contact with his family.

They earlier said Joshua “narrowly escaped death” in the crash and that there would be a “full investigation” into what happened.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he had personally spoken to the 36-year-old boxer to convey his condolences and wish him a “full and speedy recovery.”

“AJ assured me he is receiving the best care possible,” he said in a post on X.

The accident occurred on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway at around 12:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

The incident involved two vehicles: a black Lexus and a stationary red commercial truck.

Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said that based on preliminary findings, the Lexus was “suspected of speeding”.

The vehicle allegedly appeared to “lose control while overtaking” and hit a stationary truck on the side of the road.

Photos shared by the FRSC showed a wrecked car at the scene of the accident, with a crowd of onlookers gathered around it.

Local officials said Joshua and another man, the driver of the vehicle, were rescued by the boxer’s security team.

Video from the scene showed the boxer being rescued from the back seat of a wrecked SUV.

The Ogun and Lagos state governments said Joshua and the other passenger were “immediately evacuated to specialized medical facilities in Lagos”.

The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, known as one of Nigeria’s deadliest roads, is particularly congested at this time of year as many Nigerians living abroad come here to celebrate the holidays.

Joshua was born in Waterford and has family roots in Sagamu, a town in Ogun state in southwestern Nigeria, close to the crash site.

He recently spent time in the country Defeated American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul December 19th.

After the accident, Paul posted on

A relative of Joshua’s in Nigeria, who asked not to be named, told the BBC that news of the crash had left the family “shocked”.

They said they wished him a “speedy recovery” and prayed for those who died in the accident.

The family confirmed that Joshua was traveling from Lagos to Ogun State when the accident occurred. His family had been looking forward to him coming to Sagagi to celebrate the New Year with them.

The boxer’s family is well-known in the town, with ancestors dating back several generations.

There are plans to build a new indoor boxing stadium in Ogun named after Joshua, where the boxer is a sports ambassador.

Tributes have poured in for two members of Joshua’s team who died in the accident.

Gami has been Joshua’s full-time strength and conditioning coach for more than a decade, helping him prepare for the biggest clashes of his career, including this month’s victory over Jake Paul.

He also co-founded London gym Evolve. The gym said it will close on December 30 “as we mourn the loss of our beloved owner.”

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