Anthony Joshua has been making waves once again after bouncing back from consecutive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk.
AJ’s recent hot streak includes four straight victories, with his latest win being a knockout blow to ex-UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It seems AJ’s star is ascending once again… and so is his net worth.
Since his stunning Olympic gold medal win at London 2012 catapulted him to fame, Joshua has been climbing the boxing ladder with gusto. But it’s a throwback interview with GQ in April 2017 that really shows the heights he aimed for. At the time, Joshua was gearing up for his bout with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, which he won by KO. Chatting to GQ, Joshua revealed his financial dreams, saying initially he just wanted to be rolling in millions. But as times changed, so did his goals.
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“When I first started, the aim was to become a multimillionaire. But now there are ordinary people, grandmas and granddads, who are worth millions just because of property prices,” he explained. “So the new school of thought is that I need to be a billionaire. Being a millionaire is good, but you have to set your sights higher.”
Joshua has set his sights sky-high, revealing his financial goals in a recent chat: “If I’m making £10 million from my next fight, my next target has to be making ten times that. And if I get to £100m-150m, why not go for the billion? I know self-made billionaires. It’s hard, but it’s possible.”
The boxing star bagged a whopping £66million, his highest purse to date, when he snatched back his WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF world titles from Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019. Reports claim he then bagged £31million in his March clash with Ngannou.
Joshua has undeniably boosted his wealth recently, with Forbes estimating his 2020 earnings at a cool $47million. However, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, Joshua’s net worth now stands at a hefty £175m, an impressive figure, albeit short of his ultimate goal.
The 34-year-old currently shares the 17th spot on the UK’s 40 under 40 list with musician and actor Harry Styles. Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton is the richest athlete on this list, coming in ninth and boasting a jaw-dropping net worth of £350million.
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The next sports star on this UK list is golf whizz Rory McIlroy, who ranks 13th with a net worth estimated at £225million. Tennis champ Andy Murray is 27th with a net worth of £100million, while England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is the highest-ranking footballer, coming in at 35th with £75million.
Joshua has always been open about his drive to earn big, telling Yahoo Sports in February 2023 that a big motivation for him is: “Money, money, money.”
He added: “I like making money, straight up. I’ve been broke, my family’s been broke, I know what this s*** means. I always built businesses outside of boxing, out of fear of going back to square one, but when I’m said and done, no one will care about me anymore, so I’ll make the most of it while I’m here.”
Joshua’s quest to join the billionaire club is well underway, with the Olympic champ reportedly signing a mega $100million deal with streaming behemoth DAZN in 2022. The boxing superstar ditched Sky Sports for an exclusive partnership with the streaming service, even bagging himself roles as a shareholder, special advisor, and brand ambassador.