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Claim: An X-user, Observation No Be Crime, posted a viral video of Anthony Joshua, alleging that the heavyweight boxer has retired from boxing after surviving a tragic accident in Nigeria.
Verdict: False! The video is doctored from an unrelated video. DUBAWA’s investigation revealed that the video had been edited and that the boxer had not made any statements about his retirement from boxing.
Full Text
On Monday, December 29, 2025, the boxing world was rocked by news of a tragic road accident involving former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The incident occurred around 11:00 am in the Makun area near Sagamu, Joshua’s ancestral hometown, as he was travelling in a Lexus SUV.
According to reports from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the driver attempted to overtake at high speed but suffered a tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control and collide with a stationary truck parked by the roadside.
While Joshua, who was seated in the rear, miraculously survived with minor injuries, the crash claimed the lives of two of his closest friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Footage from the scene showed a visibly shaken Joshua being helped from the mangled wreckage by bystanders. He was subsequently stabilised at a local hospital, where he received a supportive phone call from President Bola Tinubu.
The tragedy follows just ten days after Joshua’s knockout victory over Jake Paul in Miami.
However, reports from credible media outlets, such as The BBC, confirmed that the heavyweight has been discharged from the hospital in Nigeria.
However, an X-user, Observation No Be Crime, posted a viral video of Anthony Joshua, alleging that the heavyweight has confirmed retiring from Boxing after surviving a tragic accident.
In the video, Anthony Joshua can be heard saying: “I’ve formally decided to retire from the boxing world.”
The video was captioned: “Anthony Joshua finally decided to retire from Boxing due to the recent accident that happened and took two of his best friends at the spot. This is really a hard time for him and the families affected.”
The similar claim was found here, here, and here.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim because it could be misleading.
Verification
Firstly, DUBAWA conducted a Google Keyword search and found no evidence supporting the claim.
Secondly, we also found that the claim was not reported by any credible media house.
In fact, when we verified the claim on Anthony Joshua’s official social media pages, including Instagram, Facebook, and X, we didn’t find any evidence supporting the claim.
Thirdly, we carefully observed the video and found that it was doctored from a press conference Anthony Joshua had three years ago, when he spoke about his “comeback” into boxing.
We also observed that the video was edited to mislead the public, with glitches in the Al-contents.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s careful investigation showed that the viral video of Anthony Joshua speaking about retiring from boxing after surviving a tragic accident last year in December is doctored. Additionally, there is no evidence in mainstream media to suggest that the heavyweight has retired from boxing.
