How a Last-Minute Seat Change Saved Anthony Joshua’s Life

British-Nigerian former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, narrowly escaped death in a fatal road crash on Monday after swapping seats from the front to the back of a Lexus SUV shortly before the accident, a report has revealed.

The crash occurred along the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway and claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s friends — Ayodele Kelvin Olu (36), a Nigerian-British citizen, and Gami Sina (36), a British citizen — while several others, including the boxing star himself, sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Joshua’s driver, Kayode Adeniyi (46), has since been remanded in custody and is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous and negligent driving, as well as driving without a valid driver’s licence.

Speaking on Friday, the driver’s lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, told the Daily Mail that Joshua was originally seated in the front passenger seat but later moved to the back at the driver’s request shortly before the crash.

“My client has pleaded not guilty, and what happened was an accident,” Abiodun said. “I have not had sufficient opportunity to fully discuss the incident with him, but he maintains that the vehicle’s brakes failed.”

The lawyer further explained that the driver asked Joshua to change seats because his physical build obstructed his view of the wing mirror.

“Anthony initially sat in the front, but my client asked him to move because he could not see the wing mirror properly. Anthony then sat behind the driver. From what I understand, another passenger, Latif, had been in the front seat before swapping seats with Anthony,” he added.

At the court session, Adeniyi, dressed in a black Muslim kaftan, pleaded not guilty to all charges as members of his family looked on. He has reportedly worked as Joshua’s personal driver for over three years.

Outside the courtroom, Adeniyi’s 19-year-old son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, also spoke to the Daily Mail, defending his father and insisting the crash was accidental.

“My dad is not a fast driver. He was observing the speed limit when the brakes failed,” he said. “He tried to swerve to avoid a truck parked by the roadside but ended up colliding with it.”

He added that the journey began in Lagos after the group was picked up from the airport and that they were headed to Sagamu to visit Joshua’s family.

“They were only minutes away from their destination. If that truck had not been parked illegally by the roadside, this accident would not have happened,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Police Command confirmed on Friday that Adeniyi had been arraigned on a four-count charge, including dangerous driving causing death, reckless driving, negligent driving, and driving without a valid driver’s licence, contrary to the provisions of the Federal Highway Act.