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Anthony Joshua made a bold proclamation back in 2017 that he wanted to increase his wealth to an enormous amount and has aimed to do just that in recent years
By Chris Burns
Anthony Joshua said he wanted to be a billionaire in 2017 (Image: Getty)
Anthony Joshua is one of the world's most instantly recognisable boxers but just how does his current success compare to the lofty ambitions he set for himself years ago?
Joshua has returned in recent times following back-to-back defeats by Tyson Fury's conqueror Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. The former heavyweight champion has now won his last four fights on the spin, most recently crushing former UFC star Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and it looks like his star is on the rise again.
Joshua has no doubt climbed the boxing ranks since his eye-catching Olympic gold triumph at London 2012 launched him into the spotlight but an interview he did with GQ in April 2017 really encapsulates just how far Joshua wanted to push himself. The seven-year-old statement came as Joshua was preparing to fight Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium - a fight he won by knock-out.
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Speaking to GQ back then, Joshua revealed that he initially wanted to be a millionaire, however, that objective drastically altered as times quickly changed.
"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 said. "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 went on to say that he would need to be making an extraordinary amount of money per fight to realise his giant ambitions, he added: "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."
Joshua earned a career-best purse of £66million when he reclaimed his WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF world titles from Andy Ruiz Jr back in December 2019. However, reports claim Joshua took home less than half of that when he pocketed £31million for fighting Ngannou back in March of this year.
Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in his last bout (Image: Getty)
Joshua has unquestionably inflated his wealth in recent times with Forbes estimating his earnings at around $47million in 2020. However, based on the latest edition of the Sunday Times Rich List, Joshua's net worth now rests at £175m, an impressive sum no doubt, if a little far off his ultimate ambition.
The 34-year-old currently sits joint 17th on the UK's 40 under 40 section of the list, alongside musician and actor Harry Styles. The richest athlete on this particular list is ninth-place Lewis Hamilton, with the Formula 1 icon's net worth a staggering £350million.
The next sporting star on this UK list is golf ace Rory McIlroy who takes his place at 13th with a net worth estimated to be £225million. Tennis star Andy Murray sits 27th on the list 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.
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Joshua has never hidden his motivations to win big, telling Yahoo Sports in February 2023: "Money, money, money.
"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 bid to join the exclusive billionaire club looks to be ongoing with the Olympic champion signing a reported $100 million deal with streaming giant DAZN in 2022. Joshua quit Sky Sports for an exclusive partnership with the streaming platform and even became a shareholder, special advisor, and brand ambassador.
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Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury Eddie Hearn
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