British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua escaped with minor injuries from a car crash that claimed two lives in Nigeria on Monday.

Nigerian authorities have confirmed Joshua, 36, was involved in a car accident on the Ogun–Lagos state expressway.

Local media reports say two people died in the crash, while Joshua and two others were rescued with minor injuries.

“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,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Daily Mail Sport.

As per BBC News, five men were in the car when it collided with a stationary truck by the side of the road, officials say. The Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria says the car, a Lexus Jeep, was suspected of travelling over the speed limit and crashing while overtaking.

Other pictures, posted by officials, show a badly damaged car and a dented truck.

The boxer was travelling from Lagos to the family home, according to a relative.

Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion, has family roots in Sagamu, a town in Ogun State, Nigeria.

Joshua’s car crash came shortly after his heavyweight victory over YouTube star Jake Paul on 19 December in Miami, United States.

The fight earned Joshua a share of a reported £210m (R4.7 billion) purse.

He is a former two-time unified WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight champion. Joshua first held the titles from March 2018 to July 2019. He later reclaimed the three belts with a unanimous decision win over Andy Ruiz Jr. in December 2019.

Joshua’s second unified title run lasted until September 2021.