Anthony Joshua’s career was almost ruined by a Fifa addiction

Anthony Joshua might be IBF world heavyweight champion, but some of his new fans might not even have heard of him had he not been able to kick an addiction to video games.

The Watford fighter is a huge Fifa aficionado, and was even a guest at the launch of Fifa 16 in London last year. But his attachment to the game used to be so great that it bordered on unhealthy. “I had to stop playing [Fifa] because it affected my sleep and recovery," Joshua is quoted as saying by The Sun. "I could stay up till five in the morning playing it, get up at seven and train," he added. "That’s how mad it was, it wasn’t healthy – even then it was always sports.” https://twitter.com/SoccerSt_/status/646086995538780160 The 26-year-old took just two rounds to see off Charles Martin at the O2 Arena last Saturday, extending his professional record to 16 wins from 16 fights, all by way of knockout. A number of names have been floated for his first title defence, including 19-2 American Bryant Jennings, and Jennings' compatriot Eric Molina, who suffered his third career loss against Deontay Wilder last year.