Jake Paul reacts to Anthony Joshua car crash 10 days after KO loss to boxer: ‘I am praying’

Joshua was injured in a car crash in Nigeria on Monday, as two lives were lost in the incident

Jake Paul has said he is “praying” for Anthony Joshua and those who lost their lives in a car crash involving the heavyweight boxer on Monday.

Joshua suffered minor injuries in the incident, which claimed two lives, 10 days after knocking out Paul in a boxing match in Miami.

Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion, stopped Paul in six rounds, breaking the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s jaw in two places.

The Briton then travelled to Nigeria, where he has roots, and was a passenger in a car crash on the Ogun-Lagos expressway on Monday. “AJ”, 36, was taken to hospital after footage showed him appearing dazed and in pain, both in and out of his vehicle.

A series of tweets posted by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps stated that the incident involved a Lexus Jeep, in which Joshua was seated, and a “stationary, red commercial Sinotruck”. “A total of five adult males were involved in the crash,” wrote the Corps. “Two persons sadly lost their lives, one sustained injuries, while two others escaped unhurt. Anthony Joshua was rescued alive and sustained minor injuries.

“The injured victim was evacuated for medical attention, while the remains of the deceased were conveyed to Livewell Morgue, Ajaka, Sagamu. Preliminary findings indicate that the Lexus Jeep, which was suspected to be travelling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre and crashed into a stationary truck well packed by the side of the road.”

Anthony Joshua shown in pain after the incident (Social media)

A vehicle believed to be Joshua’s (X/@FRSCNigeria)

However, Ogun State Police Commissioner Lanre Ogunlowo told ESPN: “The accident happened as a result of a burst tire on AJ's vehicle, which caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to swerve into the stationary truck parked along the road.”

It was not confirmed in which vehicle the two deceased persons had been travelling.

In any case, Paul reacted by taking to X (formerly Twitter) and writing: “Life is much more important than boxing.

“I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”

There was much criticism of the match-up between Paul, 28, and Joshua, whose previous outing was a stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Many speculated that the bout would be rigged, though this was disproven by various sources – not to mention the manner of Paul’s defeat, which left him in hospital.

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Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in six rounds in their heavyweight fight (Getty Images for Netflix)

A representative for Joshua told The Independent that the boxer’s UK-based team was looking into Monday’s crash. Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told 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.”