It was by no means his first brush with the law. When Anthony Joshua recorded his one and only defeat as an amateur to Dillian Whyte in 2009, he was wearing an electronic tag on his ankle.
“I was looking at a jail sentence so my only ambition was to be found not guilty,” Joshua said ahead of his professional bout with Whyte in 2015.
“That was it.
“When I got past that and I was found not guilty I carried on boxing.”
However, it was not the end of it.
Was Anthony Joshua convicted for drugs?
Police pulled Joshua’s Mercedes-Benz over for speeding in March 2011 and found 8oz of herbal cannabis hidden in his sports bag.
He was subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply a class B drug and submitted a guilty plea.
Did Anthony Joshua go to jail?
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail but the relatively small amount involved and Joshua’s guilty plea saw him given a non-custodial sentence.
He was forced to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and was also given a 12-month community order.
However, Joshua managed to salvage his boxing career. He was suspended by Team GB but not cast out entirely. In fact, it was to be the making of him.
“That was a big turning point for him,” said promoter Eddie Hearn.
“Look, he’s a bad guy trying to be good.
“And he needs to be a bad boy, and retain that to get to where he wants to be in the ring.
“But boxing has saved his life. He’s a pure example of it.
“It’s given him discipline, a focus for that huge physique and desire to fight.”
