Anthony Joshua's extreme measures to avoid being 'branded a cheat' and having his legacy ruined revealed by Eddie Hearn

EDDIE HEARN has revealed the extreme measures Anthony Joshua resorts to to avoid failing a drugs test.

Countless fighters, both in boxing and MMA, have tested positive for banned substances due to accidentally ingesting contaminated food or supplements.

Ryan Garcia is one of several high-profile boxers to recently fail a drug test.Credits: Getty

Anthony Joshua is incredibly paranoid about failing a drug testCredits: GETTY

Eddie Hearn has revealed that AJ is doing everything he can to protect himself from a potential anti-doping rule violationCredits: Getty

Some fighters have even had mental health issues because of their food or drink. POINTEDa fact that has prompted AJ to implement an incredibly strict approach to what he puts into his body.

Matchroom Boxing director Hearn told GRM Daily: “Every time I go to a restaurant with AJ I look at the food and think there are some horrible assholes in there.

“You put something in that food and your career is over.

“And imagine that everything you have built, because of one evil individual, collapses.”

Joshua, 34, is so concerned about the possibility of ingesting a banned substance that he drinks nothing but pre-approved, sealed beverages after his fights.

Hearn continued: “Here’s another example. After a tough fight, you might go into the ring and someone – either from the other team or from somewhere else – will come up to you and offer you something to drink.

“What’s in there? You know what I mean? I’m not saying there’s something in there, but there could be.”

“So at the highest level, like AJ, every bottle is tested.

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“Every bottle is sealed. Nothing enters the locker room.

“You have to do it because you’re fixing your career, your brand, your reputation.

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“The worst thing in the world is to test positive without knowingly taking a substance.

“Then you get labeled a cheater for the rest of your life, even though you never did it.

“I’m paranoid in this world because I know how people are.”

Boxing has been plagued by numerous failed drug tests over the past couple of years, the most recent and high-profile being Ryan Garcia’s failed drug test prior to his fight with Devin Haney.

And Hearn believes the majority of positive tests are the result of fighters trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the ring.

He said: “I think 20% of failed drug tests are legitimately fighters who are unlucky or have taken a substance unknowingly.

“I think 80% of people cheat. And establishing what is true is very difficult to do.

Anthony Joshua to crush Daniel Dubois in domestic clash at Wembley next monthCredits: GETTY

“Because fighters will never take illegal substances themselves.

“Someone will come to them and say, we need to improve their strength and what we can do is take a little bit of that.

“And maybe they won’t even tell them it’s a banned substance. But most of the time, people really do cheat.

“And we’re talking about testing at tiny trace levels that would be in your blood.

“And in MexicoThere is a real phenomenon: some meats contain testosterone.

“And fighters are testing positive for that. Things like eggs, we don’t know what people are putting in animals.”

Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua will be back in action on September 21 when he takes on IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois in a huge domestic fight at Wembley.