Anthony Joshua once fought six men on his own while out for a takeaway

Anthony Joshua has recalled the time he once fought six men on his own while out getting a takeaway.

It comes as Joshua sat down with beloved documentary-maker Louis Theroux, and things got tense at one point during the interview:

Joshua has been the heavyweight champion of the world on two occasions, won an Olympic gold medal, and has fought some of the most fearsome pugilists in the world of boxing.

However, he also had a pretty tough time when he was younger, and credits boxing with keeping him on the straight and narrow.

Now, in his interview with Theroux, he has spoken about some of the scraps that he used to get into before he was famous, including one notable incident in a chicken shop.

In his wide-ranging interview, the Watford-born boxer discussed his career, his earlier life, and his expectations for the future, as well as getting more than a little bit p***ed off at his interviewer at one stage.

BBC

As for the incident in the chicken shop, he explained: "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."

Since then, Joshua has climbed the boxing ladder with great success, beating some of the world’s best before facing his first career setback against Andy Ruiz Jr. in New York.

He eventually avenged that loss, reclaiming his world belts in a rematch, before then losing them again to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021.

Joshua then lost to Usyk once again, leaving his next move slightly less easy to plot.

An unconvincing win against Jermaine Franklin was followed by a knockout win against Robert Helenius, but with Tyson Fury set to fight Oleksandr Usyk for all the straps in the near future, it remains to be seen where Joshua will look next.

A potential fight with Deontay Wilder would draw a crowd, with the two ranking amongst the biggest punchers and well-recognised names in the division, even if no belts were on the line.

Julian Finney/Getty

Ultimately, he’ll be hoping for an all-British showdown against Fury, which would surely rank as one of the biggest ever pay-per-view events and could sell any amount of tickets if it were to be staged at somewhere like London’s Wembley Stadium or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But, he’ll have to wait his chance like everyone else, while Fury and Usyk finally squash a lengthy beef with their next fight.

All Joshua has to do until then is keep his name in the frame and stay out of fights in chicken shops.

Even if he can beat six men at the same time, it’s not a very professional look for a former champion.