Jake Paul sent a classy message to Anthony Joshua after the former heavyweight world champion was involved in a horror car crash on Monday.
Joshua, who stopped Paul in six rounds in Miami 10 days ago, was on holiday in Nigeria when the Lexus SUV he was travelling in collided with a stationary truck along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
The 36-year-old sustained minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for further assessment.
Two others in the SUV were killed in the accident and according to the Federal Road Safety Corps, the car was “beyond the legally prescribed speed limit” while overtaking.
Paul, who was floored four times in a one-sided defeat, sent well wishes to his former rival in a social media post later on Monday.
“Life is much more important than boxing,” the 28-year-old wrote on X.
“I am praying for the lost lives, AJ and anyone impacted by today’s unfortunate accident.”
Joshua looked distressed and in pain as he was helped out of the car and offered support by locals.
An eyewitness Adeniyi Orojo told Nigerian publication Punch: “It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV.
View this post on Instagram
“Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him.
“There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed.
“His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.
“Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist.
“A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived.
“The passenger beside the driver and Joshua died on the spot.”
Joshua was expected to return to the ring in February in Riyadh, potentially against kickboxing champion, Rico Verhoeven before moving on to a long-awaited summer showdown with Tyson Fury.
Paul and Joshua drew an audience of 33 million viewers on Netflix for their professional heavyweight bout.
