Anthony Joshua’s uncle has disclosed his frantic search through hospitals to locate his nephew, following the shocking news of the heavyweight boxing star’s car crash in Nigeria on Monday. The tragic accident, caused by a tyre blowout, claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s close friends. Joshua is now confirmed to be in a stable condition in a Lagos hospital. His personal trainer, Latif “Latz” Ayodele, and sport and exercise rehabilitation coach, Sina Ghami, were sadly killed in the incident.

In the wake of the crash, Joshua’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, has spoken out about the family’s distress. Speaking to reporters in Ijokun, he said: “We did not know on time that he was involved in an accident, it was really a rude shock to the family because this is not the first time he would be coming to see his family in Sagamu,” he said.

“Anthony Joshua can even come home up to three, four times in a year. We felt so bad because this is the end of the year period which is usually use to rejoice and bond with one another, it is really quite unfortunate.

“The sad news actually jolted Sagamu community and up till now everyone is still in shock. People have kept calling the family members to sympathise with us and get updates.

“Since the incident happened, we have been rallying round to see if it is possible to get to see our son but that has been impossible because of his status, we don’t know the hospital he was taken to and we can understand that such is being done to protect him being a world figure.

“However, we have been in touch with his father and mother who are also in Nigeria and they have assured us that Joshua is fine. We are also thinking that it will be fine if they allow even if it is just three of the family members to see him. We are all eager to see him but we will still respect the wish of the authority to keep him safe for now.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, issued a statement on Monday confirming the boxer was “OK” via social media. “I am away on a family holiday and awoke to the news of this incident,” he revealed.

“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.”