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British boxer Anthony Joshua initially staying in Nigeria to recuperate after crash

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — British boxer Anthony Joshua is initially staying in Nigeria as he recuperates from injuries sustained after a deadly crash.

A vehicle carrying the former heavyweight champion and two of his associates crashed into a stationary truck on Monday on a major thoroughfare, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which links Ogun state to Lagos. The two associates, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, were killed.

Joshua was released from a Lagos hospital on Wednesday afternoon, and he paid his respects to his deceased friends at the morgue.

His promoter, Matchroom Boxing, told The Associated Press on Thursday: “As reported, Anthony was released from hospital last night and will remain in Nigeria over the coming days.”

Joshua has family roots in Nigeria and he briefly attended boarding school there as a child. He also holds Nigerian nationality.

The Lagos state commissioner for information, Gbenga Omotoso, said Wednesday that Joshua had been discharged after being deemed clinically fit to recuperate from “home.”

Ghami was Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach while Ayodele was a trainer. Just hours before the crash, Joshua and Ayodele posted clips on social media playing table tennis together.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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