Driver Involved In Anthony Joshua Crash Charged With Dangerous Driving

UPDATE — Jan 2, 8:58 PT: The driver who was behind the wheel of the car that crashed on a Nigerian motorway, injuring British boxer Anthony Joshua and killing two others, has been charged.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode was charged at the Sagamu Magistrates’ Court in Nigeria on Friday. Local authorities have said the charges are causing death by dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care, and driving without a valid driver’s licence. The case has been adjourned until January 20.

Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami, died in the crash. The car they were being driven in crashed into a stationary truck on a busy highway near Lagos. Joshua was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was discharged a few days later.

ORIGINAL STORY: British boxer Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria that killed two other people. 

The accident happened on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria’s busiest highway, on Monday. Local police told the BBC in a statement that Joshua has been taken to the hospital and his injuries are minor. 

The officials said Joshua is doing “fine.” Graphic and unverified videos of the crash and its aftermath were posted across social media sites this morning. The Nigerian Federal Road Safety Corps posted a series of snaps from the crash site across its social media accounts with the caption: FRSC OPERATIVES RESCUE ANTHONY JOSHUA AS TWO DIE FROM OGUN STATE FATAL CRASH.

https://twitter.com/FRSCNigeria/status/2005642653720068209

Joshua, a former world champion and Olympic gold medallist, was born in Watford, England, to British Nigerian parents. The fighter is coming fresh off his exhibition bout with YouTuber Jake Paul. 

Joshua defeated Paul via knockout in the sixth round. Paul was hospitalized after suffering a broken jaw. The fight, organized by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, is the former YouTuber’s second live event on Netflix following his bout with Mike Tyson. Paul had been scheduled to fight Gervonta Davis next. But that fight was canceled when the latter became embroiled in a civil lawsuit where he was accused of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress by ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel.

Netflix reported that the Paul and Joshua fight attracted 10.9M views. That put it in third place for the week. The figure is substantially lower than the audience for Paul’s Mike Tyson matchup. That fight racked up 46.6M views. The Tyson and Paul fight was No. 1 in 78 countries and in the Top 10 in all 91 countries that Netflix tracks.