I was smoking marijuana aged 13, now I’m two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, says Anthony Joshua

ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed that he smoked marijuana until he was 13 years old.

The Brit was able to kick the habit and become one of the best boxers in the world.

BBC Sport

Anthony Joshua smoked marijuana until he was 13[/caption]

Getty

AJ stopped smoking and went on to become a two-time world champion[/caption]

AJ, 34, became the two-time heavyweight world champion as he beat Wladimir Klitschko and Andy Ruiz Jr.

He also won gold at the London Olympics in 2012 and a year later he turned professional.

However, his success in the boxing world may never have happened if he had not stopped smoking.

During an interview with Louis Theroux, he said: “If you can’t get the distractions out of your life, you can’t get your full attention on improving as an athlete.

“For me, when I stopped smoking I was able to progress.”

AJ admitted that he was smoking the class B drug up to six times a day.

He was kicked off the GB Olympic team in 2011 after police discovered cannabis in his car.

The boxer was charged with possession with an intent to supply a class B drug.

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His punishment was a non-custodial sentence of 100 hours of unpaid work as well as a 12-month community order.

He had previously spoken about how his life has been affected by the incident.

This is because his record is always brought up when he enters the US, however he is still able to get into the country.

In the interview, Joshua also admitted that in his youth he once fought six men at once.

The result of the fight left him with scars on his knuckles.

He added: “I used to get in fights a lot when I was younger.

“My skin doesn’t heal too well.

“This knuckle, I went to get chicken one evening and I ended up fighting six guys on my own.”