10 facts you didn’t know about the unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua

You probably know Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, is a British professional boxer. Who is currently a unified world heavyweight champion, having held the IBF title since 2016, and the WBA and IBO titles since April 2017.

You are also aware Anthony Joshua boasts a 100% knockout-to-win ratio having won all of his 19 professional fights by knocking out his opponents.

HERE ARE 9 FACTS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE NEW  WBA CHAMPION

1. He was born in Watford, in Hertfordshire to a Nigerian mother and a British father of Nigerian and Irish decent. He has a map of Africa on his upper right arm with Nigeria highlighted.

2. Before his participation in the Olympics and going professional he worked on construction sites as a bricklayer.

3. Joshua began fighting in 2007 as he was persuaded by his cousin Ben Ileyemi to try boxing. Five years after giving the sport a nod he won an Olympic gold medal.

4. Joshua is a good chess player and he often employs the tricks from the board game when fighting his opponents.

5. Anthony Joshua and Watford striker Troy Deeney are good friends

6. Anthony Joshua is ranked as the world’s best heavyweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and BoxRec, and second best by The Ring magazine.

7. Anthony Joshua is the first British heavyweight boxer to win both a gold medal at the Olympics and a world title by a major professional sanctioning body.

8. Anthony Joshua joins Joe Frazier as the only boxers to win a world heavyweight title whilst still reigning as Olympic champion at the top weight.

9. Anthony Joshua excelled at football and athletics and broke the Year Nine 100m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.

10. Anthony Joshua lost three of his 43 fights as an amateur boxer.