Police confirm cause of crash involving Anthony Joshua that killed two of his close friends
Police in Nigeria have confirmed the cause of a car crash involving boxer Anthony Joshua, which resulted in the loss of two of his friends.
Joshua, 36, was left with minor injuries after being involved in the car crash in Nigeria at around 11.00am on 29 December, with the boxer having been a passenger in the car.
Killed in the crash were his personal trainer Latif Ayodele and his coach Sina Ghami, both 'close friends and team members' of Joshua.
Joshua was injured in the crash and taken to hospital, though his condition is 'stable' as Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo said that the boxer's injuries did not require surgery.
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Joshua reportedly said he could 'feel pain all over' as he was being helped out of the crashed car, with eyewitnesses saying he was 'shocked' and 'couldn't talk'.
Police investigators have put the cause of the car crash down to a tyre blowout after attempting to overtake another vehicle.
Babatunde Akinbiyi, Police Commander of Nigeria's Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, said that the Lexus SUV, which Joshua and his friends were in, 'lost control' after the car had 'experienced a tyre burst because of excessive speed'.
Investigators believe that the car went out of control during 'an overtaking manoeuvre', with it going off the road and hitting a stationary truck that was parked by the side of the Lagos–Ibadan expressway.
The right side of the car was badly damaged, and Joshua was sitting on the left side of the vehicle.
Adeniyi Orojo, an eyewitness to the crash, told local outlet Punch that he saw the boxer's security team, which had been following in the car behind, rush to the scene.
"There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed. His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash," he said.
"Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist. A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived. The passenger beside the driver and Joshua died on the spot."
Friends of Joshua said he was 'ok but badly shaken up', while a family member told the BBC they would be praying for those who died in the crash and for a speedy recovery for the 36-year-old.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, said in a statement to the Daily Mail: "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."
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Boxing
Joe Harker