The British boxer Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, Nigerian authorities said on Wednesday night. The two-time former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist was involved in a car accident near Lagos on Monday which killed two of his close associates and team members.
The 36-year-old had been under observation while recovering from minor injuries, his promoter had said on Monday.
The Lagos state commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement on X that Joshua had been discharged from the Duchess international hospital in Ikeja on Wednesday afternoon as he was deemed clinically fit to “recuperate at 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.
Latif Ayodele, a personal trainer for Joshua, and Sina Ghami, a strength and conditioning coach, died in the crash on 29 December. Omotoso said that the boxer was “heavy-hearted and full of emotions over the loss of his two close friends”. Just hours before the crash, Joshua and Ayodele posted clips on social media of them playing table tennis together.
The crash 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.
An image released by the federal road safety corps in Nigeria showing the damaged car that Anthony Joshua had been travelling in. Photograph: AP
Joshua had recently won a bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on 19 December, marking his return to the ring after a 15-month absence.
