Anthony Joshua, the renowned Nigerian-British boxer and former world heavyweight champion, was involved in a tragic car accident in Nigeria on Monday, which resulted in the deaths of two other passengers.

Gbenga Omotoso, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, confirmed the unfortunate incident through a post on X. He noted that the government promptly dispatched ambulances to the crash site. Reports from local media indicate that Joshua has since been taken to a hospital for treatment.

Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, issued a statement suggesting that preliminary investigations pointed to excessive speed as a factor. The vehicle reportedly lost control during an overtaking attempt, colliding with a stationary truck positioned by the roadside.

A statement from the Ogun State government revealed that “preliminary reports indicate that two male foreign nationals died on the spot.” However, the identities of the deceased have not yet been independently confirmed by the Associated Press.

Images circulating on social media depict the boxer being pulled from the mangled vehicle, visibly in pain.

The accident occurred on a major thoroughfare linking Ogun state, a nearby city, to Lagos, the country’s economic center.

“Anthony Joshua is in an undisclosed hospital being treated for his injuries,” Lanre Ogunlowo, the commissioner of police for Ogun state, told the AP. He said he has no further information on the injuries.

Nigeria is the homeland of Joshua’s parents and where he briefly went to boarding school at the age of 11.

Joshua had recently beaten YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Dec. 19 in a bout in Miami, which he was using to regain sharpness in the ring ahead of an attempt to reclaim the world heavyweight title, which he lost in 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk.

He has been in talks to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury in 2026.