- Anthony Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois on Saturday at Wembley
- He was caught speeding during preparation and attributed the incident to a feeling of fatigue.
- After writing a mitigation letter, he received a fine but avoided a driving ban.
Anthony Joshua has escaped a driving ban after being caught speeding in the build-up to his devastating knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois on Saturday night.
Joshua fell short in his quest to become a three-time heavyweight champion as he was stopped in five rounds by his fellow Briton at Wembley Stadium.
It has now emerged that he was also dealing with issues outside the ring ahead of the world title fight.
According The standardCourt documents show Joshua was stopped by a Sussex Police officer shortly after 9pm on May 29 after being caught driving at 44mph in a 30mph zone with a handheld speed gun.
Joshua pleaded guilty to the offence on September 17, just four days before he was set to step into the ring, but attributed his crime to “physical and mental fatigue” from his “very intense training camp”.
Anthony Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in five rounds on Saturday night.
Joshua pleaded guilty to speeding just four days before he was due to step into the ring with Dubois.
AJ attributed his speeding violation to “physical and mental fatigue” and avoided a driving ban
He told Hastings Magistrates’ Court he needed to drive to reach remote locations for boxing sessions, and was subsequently fined £1,167 as he avoided a ban, but it is not known whether he learned of his fate before stepping into the ring with Dubois.
Joshua’s mitigation letter read: ‘I fully accept responsibility for my actions on 29 May 2024 and deeply regret failing to observe the speed limits. I understand the importance of road safety and am fully aware of the potential consequences of speeding, not only for myself but for other road users.
‘My behavior that day is not excusable and I fully own up to my mistake. However, I would like to offer some context about the situation, not as an excuse, but in the hope that the court will take it into account when determining my sentence.
‘I am a professional athlete who is currently in the midst of a very intense training camp. My schedule has been extremely demanding and I was traveling to or from a training session at the time and date of the violation.
‘The physical and mental fatigue from my training may have clouded my judgment, causing this lack of concentration.
“I recognize that such circumstances do not justify speeding and I deeply regret having made that mistake. I have since made a very conscious effort to be more mindful of my speed and have strictly observed all traffic regulations.”
Joshua is now free to continue riding while licking his wounds after a humiliating defeat last Saturday.
The 34-year-old was knocked down three times before being sent to the canvas for a fourth and final time in the fifth round as he failed to beat the referee’s 10-count.
Joshua has vowed to keep fighting and could agree to an immediate rematch with Dubois.
He is now weighing his future but has insisted he will not stand down following his one-sided defeat.
An immediate rematch with Dubois is a potential option for the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, while another domestic showdown with Tyson Fury is also a possibility in 2025.