The car Anthony Joshua was travelling in when it crashed in Nigeria “experienced a tyre burst due to excessive speed” and then “lost control”, according to reports.

The BBC reported the comments from Police Commander Babatunde Akinbiyi of Nigeria's Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), who was citing early investigations.

He said the Lexus had been travelling along the highway from Lagos to Sagamu when it collided with another car.

The identities of the drivers of both cars have not been disclosed by officials.

Anthony Joshua’s accident has elicited growing concerns about road safety in Nigeria, where accidents are common.

The West African nation recorded 5,421 deaths in 9,570 road accidents in 2024, according to data by the country's Federal Road Safety Corps. Its data showed 340 more people were killed in road accidents last year compared to 2023.

Just 10 days before being injured in the accident, Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix bout in Miami, a fight he used to improve fitness in a bid to contest future top-flight boxing titles.

“Excessive speed and wrongful overtaking” are being probed as the primary causes of the fatal crash in Nigeria, local officials have said.

In a statement posted on social media, the Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria said: “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.”

Anthony Joshua who was discharged after recovering from minor injuries after a fatal road crash near Lagos, paid final tributes to deceased friends.

The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement on X that Joshua was discharged late afternoon yesterday after being deemed clinically fit to recuperate from "home”.

"Anthony and his mother were at the funeral home in Lagos this afternoon to pay their final respects to his two departed friends as they were being prepared for repatriation scheduled for later this evening," Omotoso said.

Sina Ghami and Latif "Latz" Ayodele were killed in the crash. Ghami was Joshua's strength and conditioning coach while Ayodele was a trainer.

Just hours before the crash, Joshua and Ayodele posted clips on social media playing table tennis together.

British former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital after being injured in a car accident in Nigeria’s Ogun State that killed two of his friends, state governments said on Wednesday.

“Anthony Joshua was discharged from hospital late this afternoon. Though heavy hearted and full of emotions over the loss of his two close friends, he was deemed (clinically) fit to recuperate from home,” the governments of Lagos and Ogun states said in a statement posted on X.

Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries when the vehicle he was travelling in collided with another car on Monday, killing two of his close friends and teammates.

The incident occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday morning, with unverified footage online showing Joshua topless looking dazed in a vehicle surrounded by what appeared to be broken glass.

The 36-year-old, who was on holiday in Nigeria following his victory over Jake Paul in Miami on 19 December, is receiving treatment for his injuries and is in a “stable condition”, a spokesperson for said Joshua on Monday.

It has been confirmed by the spokesperson that the fatalities were Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, who were both long-term friends of the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion as well as having roles on his team.

Ghami acted as strength and conditioning coach while Ayodele was a trainer.

Just hours before the crash, Joshua and Ayodele both posted footage on their Instagram accounts of them playing table tennis.

“It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos Nigeria earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. Both were close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team,” the spokesperson said on Monday.

“We respectfully ask that space and privacy be given to the families at this time while they process this truly shocking and devastating news.

“Anthony sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment. He is in a stable condition and will remain there for observation.”

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has paid tribute to Anthony Joshua’s friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria.

Ghami and Ayodele lost their lives on Monday after the vehicle they were travelling in alongside Joshua struck a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos.

British heavyweight Joshua sustained injuries but is stable and conscious in hospital, according to Ogun State Government.

Hearn – who has promoted 36-year-old Joshua since he turned professional, after he won gold at the London 2012 Olympics – posted on Instagram: “Rest in peace Latz and Sina. Your energy and loyalty among so many other great qualities will be deeply missed.

“Praying for strength and guidance for all their family, friends and of course AJ during this very difficult time.”

Boxing pundit Steve Bunce described them as “massive parts of the Anthony Joshua machine”.

He said: “They are with him all the time. He calls them his boys. They’re more than that. They are friends.

“They may have strict jobs, they might be his strength and conditioning coach, his personal trainer, his dietitian, his nutritionist, but they’re close and he loves that close circle.”

The uncle of Sina Ghami, Anthony Joshua’s close friend and physiotherapist who was killed in the crash in Nigeria said his family was “distraught” and described him as an “angel living amongst us”.

Shahryar Rumi told The Times: “Personally, there is no one kinder, no one more generous, no one more compassionate, no one more brotherly.

“He helped so many people, in every way shape or form. Without even knowing them he would know that if they needed money, never would he turn anybody away. If they ask for £500, he would give them £2,000. He was that kind of an angel. The least selfish person I have ever known.”

He added: “They were friends, Anthony Joshua and Sina. They worked together, but they began as friends. Even on this trip, he didn’t want him to be alone, so he went with him.”