I was a mess before boxing, admits AJ

ANTHONY JOSHUA talks emotionally about how boxing saved him from a life of crime in a behind-the-scenes documentary to be aired this week.

In a BBC documentary to be screened on Tuesday — Anthony Joshua: The Road To Klitschko — Joshua makes multiple references to a troubled past, including a period he spent on remand at Reading prison in 2009 for various alleged offences. At one point he admits: ‘I was f****d before boxing.’

Joshua had to wear an electronic tag on his ankle when he was released. In 2011 Joshua was stopped for speeding and found in possession of enough cannabis that he was charged with intent to supply. He pleaded guilty, was given a 12month community order and turned his life around.

In an emotional scene in the documentary, Joshua is filmed giving Sean Murphy, his former trainer at the Finchley boxing gym, a BMW sports car, saying he feels obliged to help those who helped him.