Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, OBE, is the British professional boxer popularly known as Anthony Joshua or AJ. Anthony Joshua was born on 15th October 1989 in England so he will be 31 years on his 2020 birthday. Anthony Joshua took up boxing in 2010 but made his professional boxing debut for Britain in 2013. He has also won many many professional boxing titles.
Before we go into details about his fights and career wins, we will first examine the early life of Joshua. However before we dive into the details about Anthony Joshua biography, let us look at these outline 10 facts about AJ that are worth knowing.
10 facts about Anthony Joshua
- Anthony Joshua’s full name is Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua and the OBE in his name means the British order of chivalry, which was bestowed on by the British Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II for his service to the empire. His parents are Ogun State Nigeria.
- He started boxing in 2007 at the age of 18 at the suggestion of his cousin and Anthony Joshua current height is a staggering 6 ft 6 (198 cm).
- Anthony Joshua once wanted to represent Nigeria in the 2008 Olympics but got rejected because he did not show up in camp for trial.
- Anthony Joshua’s won his first professional career by a technical knockout in the first round against Emanuele Leo.
- Anthony Joshua has lost only one fight out of 24 in his professional career. He lost to Mexican Andy Ruiz Jr. during their first fight at Madison Square, New York. AJ won their rematch in Saudi Arabia in December 2019.
- AJ lost twice during his amateur boxing career. In 2011, he lost to Magomedrasul Medzhidov in Baku, Azerbaijan, by 22-21 and also in 2011 to Mihai Nistor in Romania
- Only two fighters have lasted up to the 12th round in the ring against AJ; Andy Ruiz Jr. and Joseph Parker. The above fighters are also the only ones that Joshua has defeated without a knockout.
- Anthony Joshua is worth $55 million as of 2019, his salary earning is $45 million and his endorsements are worth $10 million.
- AJ was detained in jail in 2009 for violence and fighting and in 2011 pleaded guilty to possession with intent to sell herbal cannabis. he got off with got a 12-month community order and 100 unpaid community service.
- Joshua has a son named Joseph and he says he doesn’t want him to become a professional boxer.
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Anthony Joshua Biography: early life
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua was born on 15th October 1989 in Watford, England. Anthony’s parents are Yeta and Robert Joshua. Both his father and mother are Nigerians but his father, Robert Joshua, also is of Irish heritage.
Anthony Joshua’s parents are Yoruba, which makes him a Yoruba man. However, his family was among those considered to be elites because of their financial status. Initially, Joshua grew up in Nigeria although he was born abroad. He attended Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State. AJ was a boarding student at the revered college that was founded by Dr Tai Solarin, a Nigerian educator, humanist and civil rights pioneer.
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After his early days in Nigeria, Anthony Joshua moved to the U.K. after his parents divorced. Moving in the middle of Year Seven, he immediately enrolled in Kings Langley Secondary School to continue with his compulsory schooling.
He spent his teenage years at the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire. Many who knew him back then referred to him as Femi, a common short form of his name Oluwafemi (the same way Joseph can be shortened to Joe). Right from high school, Anthony Joshua had always shown his ability in sports and back then he was one of the best at his school’s football and athletics team. He had even broken the 100m race record in Year Nine, finishing in 11.6 seconds.
Anthony Joshua biography: amateur boxing career
Joshua started boxing in 2007 at the age of 18 at the suggestion of his cousin, Ben Ileyemi. Ben was also a professional boxer and is thought to have encouraged Joshua to join him on the path. Compared to most, 18 is later than the age most professional boxers started training for the sport. However, Anthony quickly proved to be a natural at boxing and made rapid progress.
He joined the club Finchley ABC in Barnet, North London, a club he seems to be proud of and once tweeted:
“Always representing. Finchley ABC”.
AJ sometimes still returns to the club’s gym to train. It is also noteworthy that another professional heavyweight boxer, Dereck Chisora, made it out of Finchley ABC’s stables.
Starting from the bottom and fighting his way to the top like a germinating tree, Anthony Joshua won his first competitive amateur boxing title at the 2009 Haringey Box Cup. He also won the title in 2010. The Haringey Box Cup is an international amateur boxing tournament that features 500 male and female competitors over three days.
In 2010, after fighting his 18th bout, Joshua won the ABA Championships in 2010. The ABA Championships is now called the England Boxing National Amateur Championships, the premier boxing tournament hosted annually by England Boxing. At the time, AJ turned down a £50,000 offer to turn professional in 2010. He would later say of his decision:
“Turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn’t take up the sport for money, I want to win medals.”
Already, he was already enrolled as part of the GB (Great Britain) Boxing team and also became a known British amateur champion by defeating Amin Isa at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships. Amin Isa was, at the time, a super-heavyweight fighter.
The next year, in 2011, Anthony Joshua defended his ABA Championships champion title. It is worth noting that within just four years of taking up boxing, AJ was already known as a force to be reckoned with. And like a storm, he has kept blowing away his opponents.
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Entering the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships in June, Anthony knocked out Eric Berechlin and Cathal McMongale. However, Mihai Nistor put an end to his winning streak and knocked him out of the competition. It was a major highlight of Mihai’s career as Joshua was already famous at the time.
But Anthony was just beginning mesmerising the world. At the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan, AJ went on another dizzying bout journey.
The competition ran from 22nd September 2011 to 10th October 2011, and Anthony showed his quality by beating tournament favourite, Roberto Cammarelle. Roberto had been the reigning champion and also an Olympic champion. Anthony then went on to beat Erik Pfeifer at the semis and looked destined for the Gold medal. However, Magomedrasul Majidov, fighting in his city of birth, beat him at the final by a single point.
The Boxing Writers Club of Great Britain named Anthony Joshua the Amateur Boxer of the Year on 11th October 2011.
Anthony Joshua Olympic Games 2012 controversies
Anthony Joshua participated in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2012 in the 91 kg+ division representing Great Britain. Joshua did not have it easy in the draw of the last 16 as he had to face many tough opponents. Also, his wins during the tournament were tainted by controversy.
For example, during Anthony Joshua fight with Erislandy Savon, he has announced the winner after the third round with many saying Erislandy had deserved to win. Also when he had a rematch against Roberto Cammarelle in the final, many adjudged that Roberto had beaten AJ in the final. The result was announced as a tie at 18:18 and then, Joshua was named a winner by a count-back.
Therefore, in 2012 Joshua won the Gold Medal at the Olympic Games held in London. This win and his other achievements got him appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to boxing in the 2013 New Year Honours Honours.
Anthony Joshua professional boxing career
When he felt it was the right time, Anthony Joshua turned to professional on 11th July 2013 under the promotional banner of Matchroom Sport. Matchroom Sport is a sport event promotions company led by the founder and owner, English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and his son, Eddie Hearn.
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In his first professional boxing debut, Anthony Joshua faced Emanuele Leo at an event scheduled at the O2 Arena in London on 5th October 2013. It took Joshua only one round to beat his opponent by a technical knockout (TKO). His second professional boxing match was against Paul Butlin, an English heavyweight at an event that also on the 26th of the same month of October 2016. The referee had to end the match in the second round as it appeared Paul was well beaten and it was pointless to let the fight continue, AJ was, again, declared the winner by TKO.
His third and fourth professional bouts against Croatian Hrvoje Kisicek and Dorian Darch also ended in a knockout victory for him as well. Joshua also beat Hector Alfredo Avila in Glasgow in March 2014 with a first-round knockout.
By 13th September 2014, AJ already had eight victories out of eight professional fights with the eighth coming against German heavyweight Konstantin Airich at a match that took place at the Manchester Arena. Appearing as the main event of a Matchroom Sport card in October, Joshua defeated former WBC International champion Denis Bakhtov and claimed the title. At 24, Anthony Joshua won his 10th boxing match against Michael Sprott in November 2014 ensuring he ended 2014 on a high note.
By the start of 2015, the British boxer had won all 10 of his first professional fights by stoppage and had spent a total of 36 minutes and 36 seconds fighting in the ring.
In January 2015, he had a match slated for the 31st against Kevin Johnson. However, he sustained a back injury in training and the match was cancelled. Before facing the American in May 2015, Joshua fought and beat both Jason Gavern in Newcastle and Raphael Zumbano Love in Birmingham by knockouts.
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Finally, Anthony Joshua’s winning streak came to an end on 30th May 2015, AJ faced Kevin Johnson who at the time had won 29 fights (14 by KOs). Johnson was also popular for taking out champions like Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora the whole length of 12 rounds. Joshua subjected Johnson to the first knockout defeat of his career and the American boxer announced his retirement the next day. He, however, returned to the ring in March 2017.
To claim the Common Wealth heavyweight title, Joshua had to face Gary Cornish. The Scottish boxer had fought 21 times at the time and had won 12 by knockout and had also been undefeated at the time. However, AJ changed that narrative. At the O2 Arena in London, Anthony Joshua beat Cornish who was then the IBO International champion. The match lasted just about 90 seconds of the first round. However, during his post-match talk, Joshua showed respect to Cornish and complimented his style.
Anthony Joshua faced Dillian Whyte in a grudge match as both fighters had met during their amateur days when Whyte had taken AJ to the cleaners. Now, with Whyte’s unbeaten record on the line as well as the British heavyweight title awaiting the winner, the fight went down at Sky Box Office. The fight ended in the seventh round as Joshua knocked out his opponent. However, it was far from a one-sided contest.
Reports then circulated that AJ has taken home £3 million by signing another 5-year deal to keep representing Matchroom as well as a share of the Pay-per-view television revenue.
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En-route to claiming the IBF heavyweight title, Joshua had to challenge Charles Martin on 9th April 2016 at the O2 Arena. Martin was the champion and title defender at the time, having 22 wins (21 by KOs) and only one loss. However, AJ quickly increased his number of losses by knocking him down in the second round and stealing the title he had just won 85 days earlier.
Charles Martin is thus the shortest reigning IBF heavyweight champion since 1987 (behind only Tony Tucker). He was also criticised for quitting the match and a general lackluster display that annoyed fans.
Joshua vs Breazeale
Joshua’s first title defence was against Dominic Breazeale who had won all his 17 bouts (15 by KOs). Breazeale was chosen from a list of top 15 IBF fighters.
On the O2 Arena stage again, AJ retained his title but had to wait until the seventh round to knockout a determined Dominic Breazeale on 25 June 2016. After a dominant performance, Joshua successfully defended his IBF heavyweight title with a seventh-round knockout win. It was a largely watched fight as AJ was now becoming more famous even beyond the boxing ranks.
A week later, the fighter announced a deal with U.S. broadcaster Showtime and the fight got screened live in the United States by Showtime operating as Joshua’s exclusive U.S. partner.
Joshua vs Molina
Anthony Joshua’s second bout to defend his IBF title was scheduled for 26th November 2016. If things had gone according to plan, he would have been facing either Wladimir Klitschko, Kubrat Pulev or Joseph Parker, then top IBF contenders.
However, Klitschko had gotten injured and a lot of other conditions made Joshua face Eric Molina next; Molina at that time had secured 19 KO wins in his 28 fights. This Anthony Joshua fight against Molina was televised in the United States live by Showtime.
The referee had to end the match in the third round after Molina was literally floored again and was barely surviving. This fight reached 390,000 views on Showtime and an average viewing of 368,000. Notably, in May 2018, the UK Anti-Doping agency banned Molina for two years from fighting in the UK because he had tested positive for dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, after the fight.
Unified heavyweight champion
Joshua vs Klitschko
Following an agreement among all parties, the WBA fixed a unification battle between Joshua and Klitschko with the winner to claim the WBA (Super) title, previously under the care of Tyson Fury. It was Joshua’s biggest fight since entering the ring as a trainee boxer.
This is because as early as January 2017, Eddie Hearn announced that over 80,000 tickets have already been sold, outselling Carl Froch vs. George Groves II. The promoter had to even request for 5,000 more tickets to be made available. It was reported that Joshua would, then 27, was set to earn £15 million from the fight. Klitschko at the time was 41 and weighed 10 pounds lesser than his opponent at the time of the fight.
90,000 spectators witnessed Joshua’s win in the brutal fight. They knocked each other down but in the 11th round, AJ punished his older opponent and had him without an escape route against the ropes until the referee stopped the match and named him the winner.
Joshua led on two judges scorecards 96–93 and 95–93, while the third judge said Klitschko was ahead 95–93. After the fight, Joshua challenged Fury in the post-match interview he said:
“Tyson Fury, where you at, baby? Come on — that’s what they want to see. I just want to fight everyone. I’m really enjoying this right now.”
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He also added that he had no qualms about fighting Klitschko again, saying:
“I don’t mind fighting him again if he wants the rematch. Big respect to Wladimir for challenging the young lions of the division. It’s up to him, I don’t mind. As long as Rob thinks it’s good I’m good to go.”
659,000 had seen the fight on Showtime in the United States where it was live-broadcasted in the USA. A statistics company, Nielsen Media Research said that the fight peaked at about 687,000 viewers during rounds five and six. There was also a delayed tape-replay on HBO that got 738,000 viewers and reached a peak of 890,000.
A German TV channel, RTL announced that an average of 10.43 million viewers saw the fight. This is more than the 8.91 million that tuned in to watch Klitschko and Tyson Fury fight in 2015.
A rematch was fixed for 2nd December 2017 and by 2nd August, Joshua said he would need a three-month training camp from 22nd August to be able to fight by 11th November. But by 3rd August 2017, Klitschko officially announced his retirement from boxing on his website and social media channels. This is why another Joshua v Klitschko never happened.
Joshua vs Takam
After Klitschko’s retirement announcement, the IBF immediately pitted Joshua against 36-year-old Kubrat Pulev. Both parties were to reach an agreement by 3rd September 2017. Then the WBA also fixed Joshua up for a mandatory defence showdown against Luis Ortiz stating that the deal should be ready within 30 days. Eddie Hearn revealed that after fighting Pulev then Ortiz, the team would work on a unification fight against Deontay Wilder.
Joshua and Pulev were to fight in Las Vegas on 28th October 2017 but the venue was later changed to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Announcing the fight, Hearn said on 5th September 2017:
“I’m delighted that we will be in Cardiff at the magnificent Principality Stadium for the next step of the AJ journey. Nearly 80,000 will gather on Oct. 28 to create another unforgettable night of boxing. Anthony will meet his mandatory challenger, [IBF] No. 1-ranked Kubrat Pulev, and the card will be stacked with world championship action, domestic title fights and the very best young stars in the game. Get ready for the next episode from the biggest star in world boxing.”
By 12th September 70,000 tickets had been allegedly sold, setting records as both the fastest-selling boxing ticket and the largest boxing attendance in an indoor bout (previously held by Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks’ grudge match).
By this time, AJ’s deal with Showtime had expired. However, since they retained the right to keep the deal if they can outbid any other agency, they matched HBO’s $1.6 million bid to show the match.
But on 16th October Pulev’s injury rumours circulated and when it turned out to be true, Carlos Takam, IBFs number 3 fighter stepped in with just 12 days to go. At the time, Takam had only one loss with 35 wins, 27 of which were KOs. Joshua weighed an official career-heavy 254 pounds, while Takam came in at 235 pounds.
In front of about 80,000 fans in attendance, Joshua inflicted on Takam his second professional loss to retain his title. However, the match was scarred by what many see as a premature match stoppage. Fans even booed the referee after the decision. It was one entertaining match that saw both boxers bleed a lot, AJ said when it ended:
“It was a good fight until the ref stopped it, I have the utmost respect for Takam. I have no interest [in] what’s going on with the officials. My job is the opponent. I don’t have control over the ref’s decision.”
Takam also believed the fight was stopped too early and said he would like to have a rematch.
Joshua vs Parker
For a unification fight between Parker and Joshua, match promoter Eddie Hearn offered an 80-20 split in favour of Joshua. Higgins, representing Joseph Parker said the offer would need to be more reasonable, however. Parker later confirmed that he was willing to drop to 35% of the net profit.
In November 2017, Hearn announced that the fight would be confirmed soon listing Camp Nou as a potential venue. By 8th January 2018, the Anthony Joshua fight against Joseph Parker was fixed for the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and the date was confirmed for 31st March. Showtime also announced televising the fight live in the United States.
Anthony Joshua was to earn a whopping £18 million while Parker would earn £8 million, both earning the highest ever in their career yet.
Anthony Joshua weight had dropped to 112.9 kilograms when he went against Parker who had also shed weight as well.
The match turned out to be worth it with Joshua having to go to the 12th round for the first time in his boxing career. It was also the first time he won by unanimous decision after a streak of 20 knockout wins. He thus claimed the WBO title, as well as retained his WBA, IBF and IBO championship belts.
Speaking about his game plan for the fight, Joshua explained:
“My strategy in there was kind of stick behind the jab. It’s one of the most important weapons. The old saying is the right hand could take you around the block, but a good jab will take you around the world.
“And that secured another championship belt. So I stuck behind the jab and I made sure anything that was coming back, I was switched on, I was focused and 12 rounds, baby! I thought it was hard, right?”
Parker said he would “work harder. Come back stronger, more punches. But I would love to have another go. Just back to the drawing board.”
Joshua vs Povetkin
Talks between Joshua and Wilder’s team kept both from featuring in many other fights. The problems were split, date and venue. To fulfil a WBA condition, AJ had to face Povetkin in 2018 amidst all the talks with Wilder’s management. The finalised plans for the Povetkin and Anthony Joshua fight for the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles were announced on 16th July and the match date was slated for 22nd September 2018.
Apart from satisfying his compulsory WBA and WBO title defence, should Joshua win, he would be named the Super Champion. Thus, 80,000 boxing fans gathered to see Anthony Joshua beat Povetkin in round 7 and retain his titles.
After the bout, Joshua said in the post-match interview:
“I’ve got my knockout streak back and I found my right hand again. Alexander Povetkin is a very tough challenge. He provided that, he was good with [a] left hook. I realized he was strong to the head but weak to the body so I was switching it up. Every jab takes a breath out of you and I slowed him down.”
Joshua reportedly got £20 million for the fight while Povetkin earned nearly £6 million.
Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz (Joshua vs Ruiz)
With many still expecting a Deontay-Joshua clash, what they got was Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, stylised as Joshua vs Ruiz. Initially, Anthony Joshua should have fought Dillian Whyte, but the latter said the cut he was offered was too small. It was also widely reported that American contender Jarrell Miller would battle Joshua at Madison Square Garden. However, none of the fights materialised before his bout with Ruiz.
On 17th April 2019, Miller had reportedly tested positive for the banned substance GW1516. With his fight with Joshua not looking possible, others like Ivan Dychko, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Manuel Charr put their names forward to fight Joshua in his place. Joshua himself allegedly wanted to face Luis Ortiz.
However, Luis Ortiz’s team had rejected two offers that would see the boxer earn higher than he had ever done in his career. Thus, Joshua vs Ruiz fight time was confirmed and Madison Square Garden was picked as the venue. It was also to be aired in New York City exclusively on DAZN in the US. Ruiz would get paid nearly $7 million (£5.36m) for the match.
Joshua first dropped Ruiz Jr. in round three but Ruiz recovered and repaid AJ as well. Then after surprisingly knocking Joshua down three more times, the referee waved off the fight in the seventh round and declared Ruiz Jr. the winner of the bout by TKO. The win means that Andy Ruiz Jn claimed all his opponent’s titles. The crowd was shocked by what many called the biggest boxing upset ever.
Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz 2 (Joshua vs Ruiz II)
According to the initial match clause of a rematch, Joshua and Ruiz Jr. faced off again on 7th December 2019. The match became popularly called Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz 2 or Joshua vs Ruiz II. Some called it Ruiz vs Joshua ‘grudge match’ as well.
The build-up to the match set the whole world in a frenzy. Saudi Arabian authorities had reportedly paid £30 million ($40 million) to host the event in Saudi Arabia. It was broadcasted in over 30 countries/regions.
This time, Joshua beat Ruiz by a unanimous decision after both fighters endured all the rounds up to the 12th. He thus reclaimed all his unified heavyweight titles. Meanwhile, Andy Ruiz record reflects that he has won 33 of his 35 fights with Joshua’s win being his second professional loss.
Anthony Joshua vs Pulev
The long-awaited Pulev vs Anthony Joshua fight eventually took place at Wembley Arena in London on 12 December 2020. It had been a match many boxing fans looked forward to since it was cancelled in 2017.
At the time, Pulev boxing record was 28-1 (with 14 KOs) and Joshua was defending his heavyweight titles. The match had encountered many difficulties. Its original date was 20 June 2020 at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic made the organisers move the date and the venue, there was a last-minute venue change from The O2 to Wembley again. Only 1,000 fans were allowed into the stadium as coronavirus restrictions were just been gradually lifted at the time.
Floyd Mayweather was part of the fans that attended the fight night. Anthony Joshua sent Kubrat Pulev twice to the floor in the third round but the 39-year-old Bulgarian got back up. The Nigerian-born British heavyweight had to wait until the ninth round before knocking Pulev down twice more and effectively ending the match.
This was Pulev’s second loss in his professional career since Wladimir Klitschko knocked him out in 2014.
Black Lives Matter movement
In June 2020, Joshua gave a speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford which some believed had racist divide undertone. The boxer had said in part; “show them where it hurts, abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses.”
Critics accused him of calling for a boycott of white businesses. Anthony Joshua did not back down from his statement. In response, he said that the words in the speech were not his. He had read them from a piece of paper that was passed around at the protest. It was aimed at helping empower Watford and its black community. He added without remorse, “If you think I’m a racist, go f--k yourself.”
Recent Anthony Joshua news
As of when this article was published, here is the most recent Anthony Joshua news we have on hand:
Anthony Joshua next fight might be Tyson Fury. There have been talks that after dusting Pulev, Anthony Joshua next fight will likely be against the fierce Tyson Fury.
The 32-year-old ‘Gypsy King’ is one of the current major boxers with no loss in his boxing career. He has won 30 of his 31 fights (with 21 KOs) and a draw. Tyson Fury has been ranked by BoxRec as the No.1 heavyweight in the world at the conclusion of 2015, 2018 and 2019.
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia with the former taking to social media to taunt is opponent.
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Anthony Joshua Biography: Personal life and son
Joshua had worked as a bricklayer for sometime before facing his boxing career full-time. He is also passionate about chess and is a voracious reader. He disclosed that it helps strengthen his boxing and tactical abilities.
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In 2009, Anthony Joshua had been held in Reading Prison for violence which he said was because of “fighting and other crazy stuff”.
After his release, he still had to wear an electronic tag on his ankle for monitoring purposes.
Anthony Joshua had a run-in with the police again in March 2011, for speeding in Colindale, North London. When searched, he was allegedly carrying eight ounces of herbal cannabis in his Mercedes-Benz. He was thus charged with “possession with intent to supply a class B drug.” He pleaded guilty at a Crown court.
Since this was an offence that carries a maximum 14-year sentence, Joshua was briefly suspended from the GB Boxing squad. He also got sentenced to a 12-month community order and 100 hours’ unpaid community service work.
Is Anthony Joshua married?
Anthony Joshua is not married but he has a son named Joseph Joshua or JJ, who was born to him by a dance teacher, Nicole Osbourne. He said to GQ Magazine during an interview that he does not want his son to become a boxer:
“It’s too hard. It’s a dangerous sport. I want my son to be the best man that he can be, but I don’t want him to be compared to me. You’re not going to be a boxing star without going through heaps of pain. Life is not a highlight reel. A career is not a highlight reel. People see the glamour, the winning. Nobody’s interested in the knocks and bruises, the bad eye, the struggle. My son has the bloodline for it, there’s no doubt about that…”
Why is Anthony Joshua not representing Nigeria?
Joshua has always opened up about his Nigerian origins. He initially wanted to represent Nigeria at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but he was rejected.
According to Obisia Nwankpa, former Commonwealth champion, world title contender and chief coach of the Nigerian boxing team, he explained why:
“He reached out to us, asking to be part of our Olympic team, so we invited him to come down and take part in trials.
“Unfortunately, he did not appear when we asked him to and came down only when we had finished our trials, finalised our team and were about to travel for a training tour. Maybe other coaches would have accepted it, but I could not.
“It’s a pity he did not get his chance at that time, but the two boxers we selected then, Durodola Olanrewaju and Onorede Ohwarieme, were outstanding and experienced and there was no way I was going to drop them for somebody I had not even seen.”
Joshua visits to Nigeria
In July 2019, Anthony Joshua visited Nigeria for the first time in a long while. His sister, Janet had also welcomed him among the volume of messages fans were sending. She posted on Twitter:
“Welcome home my dear brother.
“May the [Lord] almighty uphold you. Strengthen you and be with you.
“Back to the [motherland]. The soil of our foundation.#JoshuaGeneration.”
Anthony Joshua met Buhari in London on 18th January 2020, he presented his IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO belts to the Nigerian President.
International recognitions
In October 2011 AJ was named Amateur Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Club of Great Britain. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours
By 2014 Joshua was named Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine. In 2017, Anthony Joshua fight against Wladimir Klitschko was named Fight of the Year by The Ring as well as the Boxing Writers Association of America.
As of December 2019, Joshua was ranked as the world’s best active heavyweight by BoxRec, third by The Ring magazine and Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. BoxRec ranked him as the eighth-best active boxer.
Anthony Joshua net worth (AJ worth)
Anthony Joshua net worth (AJ worth) is $55 million according to Forbes in 2019. He made this net worth from his annual salary of $45 million and endorsement deals worth $10. However, as of December 2019, he was living in a house with his mother. He also flies around in a black G550 private jet that is worth £45million, a gift from US sportswear giant Under Armour.
His partnership with Jaguar earned him a Land Rover that is rumoured to be worth £790,000 a year. He also has a customised white Jaguar XJR, worth £93,000. Thus, Anthony Joshua net worth (AJ worth) is justified as most of his expenses are even taken care of, down to his wears and rides.
Final thoughts …
Anthony Joshua has become a superstar sportsman, one of the most popular in the boxing game currently. According to him, consistent training is the key to his success in the boxing ring. However, he has not forgotten his origins despite representing Britain. He also has the Nigerian flag tattooed to his arm.
Also, another lesson from Anthony Joshua biography is how he has managed his wealth despite its size.
Bonus Anthony Joshua Information
Professional record summary
25 fights (24 wins, 1 loss)
By knockout (22 Wins) and (1 Loss)
By unanimous decision (2 Wins) and (0 Loss)
Anthony Joshua Titles
He is a two-time unified heavyweight champion and holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles currently in 2020.
Anthony Joshua Amateur Fights boxing results
English National Championships results
2010
Defeated Dominic Akinlade (England) PTS
Defeated Luke Herdman (England) RSC-2
Defeated N/A WO.
Defeated Chris Duff (England) WO.
Defeated Simon Hadden (England) WO.
Defeated Dominic Winrow (England) RSC-1
2011
Defeated N/A WO.
Defeated N/A WO.
Defeated Fayz Aboadi Abbas (England) 24-15.
Great Britain Championships results
2010
Defeated Amin Isa (England) 6-3
International Amateur Boxing Tournament results
2010
Defeated Otto Wallin (Sweden) PTS
England vs Ireland results
2010
Defeated Chris Turner (Ireland) 6-3
AIBA World Boxing Championships results
2011
Defeated Tariq Abdul-Haqq (Trinidad and Tobago) RSCI-3
Defeated Juan Isidro Hiracheta (Mexico) AB-1
Defeated Mohamed Arjaoui Morocco) 16-7
Defeated Roberto Cammarelle (Italy) 15-13
Defeated Erik Pfeiffer (Germany) RSCI-1
Lost to Magomedrasul Medzhidov (Azerbaijan) 22-21
Algirdas Socikas Tournament boxing results
2012
Defeated Sean Turner (Ireland) 9-5
Defeated Johan Linde (Australia) KO-1
Defeated Aidas Petruskevicius (Lithuania) W0.
European Amateur Boxing Championships results
2011
Defeated Eric Brechlin (Germany) 23-16
Defeated Cathal McMonagle (Ireland) 22-10
Lost to Mihai Nistor (Romania) RSCH-3
Bocskai Memorial results
2012
Defeated Sergey Kuzmin (Russia) 9-7
Defeated Sardor Abdullayev (Uzbekistan) RSC-3
Olympic Games results
2012
Defeated Erislandy Savón (Cuba) 17-16
Defeated Zhang Zhilei (China) 15:11
Defeated Ivan Dychko (Kazakhstan) 13-11
Defeated Roberto Cammarelle (Italy) +18-18
Anthony Joshua Professional Fights in reverse chronological order
Anthony Joshua boxing results from recent to oldest:
25 – Win Kubrat Pulev
24 – Win Andy Ruiz Jr.
23 – Loss Andy Ruiz Jr.
22 – Win Alexander Povetkin
21 – Win Joseph Parker
20 – Win Carlos Takam
19 – Win Wladimir Klitschko
18 – Win Éric Molina
17 – Win Dominic Breazeale
16 – Win Charles Martin
15 – Win Dillian Whyte
14 – Win Gary Cornish
13 – Win Kevin Johnson
12 – Win Raphael Zumbano Love
11 – Win Jason Gavern
10 – Win Michael Sprott
9 – Win Denis Bakhtov
8 – Win Konstantin Airich
7 – Win Matt Skelton
6 – Win Matt Legg
5 – Win Hector Avila
4 – Win Dorian Darch
3 – Win Croatia Hrvoje Kisicek
2 – Win Paul Butlin
1 – Win Emanuele Leo
Even in a crisis, if there is one person who would manage to deliver impeccable results each and every time, it would have to be you. Thanks for your hard work and dedication while being someone that everyone in the office can depend on.