He is one of the biggest names in the heavyweight division, and for a while was seen as the latest great hope of British boxing. Even after a few setbacks, Anthony Joshua is still regarded as a talented boxer who always looked like a true athlete, rather than a heavyweight just by virtue of size. He is a fighter who made fans want to check out the latest sportsbook reviews to see where they could back him.
Even though Joshua has relinquished his hold on the heavyweight belts and lost to fellow Brit Daniel Dubois while attempting to claim the IBF version of the crown, he is never far from the headlines. Most recently, he fought Jake Paul in a high-profile bout in Florida and is still keen to show that he is relevant in the sport.
Joshua has over 30 professional fights under his belt and shows little sign of thinking about retirement. In this article, we will take a look at his early years, his extraordinary career, and how his performances have contributed to a truly impressive net worth.
Anthony Joshua’s Early Life
Born in Watford on October 15th, 1989, Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is the son of Nigerian parents, and actually spent some of his early years at boarding school in Ikenne. He returned to the UK when he was 12 and was a talented football and track and field athlete. It was only at the relatively late age of 18 that he took up boxing.
Joshua soon showed talent for the fight game as an amateur, winning the ABA Championships after only 18 bouts. At that time, he turned down the chance to go professional and claimed the British Amateur title in 2010. A year later, he won silver at the World Championships, spurring him on to win super-heavyweight gold at the 2012 London Olympics. It was after this victory that he set about turning professional.
Anthony Joshua’s Professional Fight Record
Joshua made his professional debut in London on October 5th, 2013, and beat Italian boxer Emanuele Leo by TKO in the first round. His fights over the next year or so went much the same way, winning all eight by TKO or KO within three rounds. He then beat Denis Bakhtov in 2014 – again by a second-round TKO – to claim the vacant WBC International heavyweight title.
Joshua’s success continued over the next few years, as he grew a formidable unbeaten fight record. He added British and Commonwealth titles to his resume, and then knocked out Charles Martin in 2016 to win the IBF heavyweight title. He retained that belt a number of times before adding the WBA and IBO versions a year later by beating the legendary Wladimir Klitschko in the biggest fight of his career to that date.
Joshua’s career continued to flourish, with further defenses of his titles, to the point in 2019, when he could boast a 22-0 record, with the world seemingly at his feet. It all came crashing down at Madison Square Garden in New York, however, when a Joshua who seemed underprepared sensationally lost all four heavyweight belts to Andy Ruiz Jr.
Joshua was able to retain his titles in a rematch at the end of 2019, but his reputation had taken a serious knock. He even retained his belts a year later. But in 2021, his world came crashing down again. Joshua lost to Ukrainian fighter, Oleksandr Usyk – and then again a year and a half later in a rematch. Joshua avoided attempts to set up a “Battle of Britain” fight against Tyson Fury and concentrated on building up a few wins again.
He was able to beat former-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in just two rounds in 2024, but then lost in his attempt to win the IBF title back, when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their bout at Wembley Stadium. Joshua’s most recent fight was against YouTube influencer Jake Paul at the end of last year. Although he was victorious, the event was taken by many as a sign that his serious days of challenging for titles may be behind him.
The Net Worth of Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua continues to be a real fan-favorite and has a sizeable following, urging him to have another go at winning at least one of the heavyweight titles. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that he has done very well from the sport over the last decade or so.
With a 29-4-0 record, with 15 of those wins coming by knockout, Joshua has been able to claim some large fight purses. He has an estimated net worth of around $150 million, having earned around $275 million from his career – and that was before his latest bout against Jake Paul.
Joshua was able to earn around $90 million from that fight and was still commanding around $50 million when he had lost his belts and was fighting Francis Ngannou. As well as investing in property and owning a number of luxurious homes of his own, Joshua’s personality has helped him win a number of high-profile sponsorship deals, with the likes of Under Armour, EA Sports, and Hugo Boss.
Even if Anthony Joshua never fights again, he has been able to amass an impressive fortune, and he ranks seventh on the list of richest boxers of all time.