Anthony Joshua’s first ever-coach reveals hilarious story of how he caught boxer outside a nightclub before training

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s first-ever coach has revealed how he hilariously caught the boxer outside a nightclub when he had training in the morning. AJ first laced up the boxing gloves aged 18 – and sensationally won Olympic gold just four years later. Anthony Joshua’s first-ever coach Sean Murphy shares the tale Credit: YouTube @DAZNBoxing Joshua was a national champion under Murphy Credit: Getty Images – Getty And it all started at North London’s Finchley ABC under the guidance of amateur trainer Sean Murphy. But Murphy revealed it was not all plain sailing when Joshua first started out – having caught the future superstar on a night out. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! He told DAZN: “We were just coming down to the finish, it’s half past 12 and we’re just finishing our drinks and I mentioned ‘Josh, what are you doing now?’ “And he said, ‘Oh, I’m going home.’ I said, ‘Well, don’t forget we’re in the gym in the morning.’ “It was a Sunday morning, we were gonna go Trent Park for a Sunday run. So anyway, I said, ‘Alright then, we’ll see you in the morning.’ “So I’ve had a couple of drinks now, so I’m a passenger in a car, and we’re driving through Finchley, and there’s a nightclub and there’s a massive big long line outside this nightclub. “And I’ve shouted ‘Stop!’ to my missus. She stopped the car. ‘What’s wrong with ya?’ I said, ‘Look, there’s Josh! He’s in that line!’ “So we pulled over the curb and wound the window down and Josh is like looking at the floor. And I went, ‘Oi, Josh!’ Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga - all the info Anthony Joshua faces Kristian Prenga in his huge comeback fight “And he’s looked round and I went, ‘I didn’t realise you lived here!’ And off we went. I said ‘Drive away!’ “I kept a serious face, but when we got away down the road I started laughing. I’m like, ‘Yeah, see, they get found out.’ “I told him when he comes in on the Sunday – he comes in with his head down. I’m like, ‘Yeah, see, you can’t lie to us, you always get found out mate, you gotta be truthful.’ “He just started laughing. But that was the sort of relationship we had. I did punish him, I made him do the run.” Joshua soon became national champion under Murphy – knocking out his amateur rivals with ease as the coach joked how AJ’s looks could be deceiving. Murphy recalled: “The first time he come in, he was a tall, skinny, thin lad. “Very, very smiley, always laughing, and just seemed like he was a very happy-go-lucky person really. “But he had some proper, horrendous knockouts in the amateurs. He put kids to sleep. He hit them with just that one punch, and they’d be gone.” Joshua had his first amateur bout in 2008. A year later, he was put on remand in Reading prison following a street brawl and forced to wear an electronic tag – which he even had on in the ring. And after rapidly rising through the ranks to represent his nation, pressure began to mount on the novice’s shoulders. But after managing to avoid a life of crime through the sport, Joshua managed to ease the burden by remembering where he came from. He said: “I started boxing late 2008, kind of had my first fight in 2008, and then 2009 I had my second, third, fourth. “So within the space of three years, I was an Olympic gold medalist. And that pressure that was on my back was a lot, but I just thought to myself, roll with the punches. The Home of Boxing in 2026 There's a massive year of boxing ahead! It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring. Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year. The Gypsy King also features in a warm-up bout the day before AJ, as he takes on Mariusz Wach in Thailand. And Moses Itauma returns for his toughest fight yet against Filip Hrgovic in August. Here’s all the big fights coming up… July Fri 24 – Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN PPV Sun 26 – Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu August Sat 1 – Pierce O’Leary vs Mark Chamberlain – DAZN Sat 15 – Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott – DAZN Sat 29 – Moses Itauma vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN September Sat 12 – Conor Benn vs Ryan Garcia – DAZN *If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue. Eddie Hearn with Joshua Credit: AFP “I’m here. It’s better than where I began. Even if it all comes crashing down today, my life is much better than where it started when I walked into the boxing gym. “So I was just like, ‘Just give it your best champ, you’ll be alright.'” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn first met AJ in Team GB’s Sheffield HQ when visiting former world champ Carl Froch. Shortly before, AJ had asked Hearn to provide him with a court reference after he was pulled over with cannabis in his car. And while Hearn ignored the request – two years later he signed Joshua and helped him become unified world champ and a national hero. Hearn said: “Boxing saved his life, on more than one occasion. Because it turned the corner for him as a young man. “And I believe through this, boxing saved him. I think that it takes you a long time in life to find and understand your purpose. “And I think what AJ has realised is that his purpose and his why is boxing.” Now 13 years into their partnership and Joshua is on the verge of the most important fight of his life. He has signed to face Tyson Fury this year but first returns on Saturday in a warm-up against 20-1 Albanian Krisitan Prenga in Jeddah. It is the same scene of his 2022 rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk. Now, four years on and AJ has linked up with Usyk’s camp to be mentored by the Ukrainian great. He said: “I think if I’m gonna do this, I’ve gotta find ways to improve. “So it’s important for one to kind of drop his ego and surround himself with good soldiers, soldiers that have achieved more. “So whatever it takes I’m willing to do basically, I’m just hungry.” Comment now