By Daily sports on February 18, 2021

Heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua has become Britain’s first official £100m boxer.

His company Sparta Promotions has posted massive profits over the past 12 months thanks to his success in the ring.

Watford-born Joshua’s business assets have grown by over £60m and now stand at an eye-watering £109m.

He could double that by pocketing an expected £100m if he fights arch-rival Tyson Fury later this year.

His nearest competitor in the British boxing wealth stakes is ex-champ Lennox Lewis, who is said to be worth £90m.

Joshua currently holds three of the four major world heavyweight belts and is an icon to millions of fans.

According to Sparta’s recently-filed latest accounts, he banked £57.35m between February 2019 and 2020 from fights.

Joshua also pocketed an extra £6.55m from marketing, sponsorship and endorsements.

Figures reveal the business turned over £63.9 million for the year and made a gross profit of £57.9 million.

During the accounting period Joshua suffered the first loss of his career to un-fancied Andy Ruiz Jr in New York.

He then beat Ruiz on points in a controversial rematch in Saudi Arabia in December 2019.

Joshua and Fury are said to be close to finalising a deal for a ‘mega-fight’ later this year, possibly in Saudi Arabia or the UAE.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is streets ahead of the pair when it comes to overall net worth.

The flamboyant fighter, who lives in a sprawling Las Vegas mansion, is believed to be worth around £435m.

But with age still on his side, 31-year-old Joshua could soon be catching up with the American star.

In a 2017 interview with GQ, Joshua spoke of his dreams of becoming a billionaire.

“When I first started, the aim was to become a multimillionaire,” he told the magazine.

“But now there are ordinary people, grandmas and granddads, who are worth millions just because of property prices.

“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.

“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.”

Here we take a look at Joshua’s background, his celebrity friends and lucrative sponsorship deals.

BACKGROUND

Joshua was born in Watford in 1989 and moved to Nigeria with his family when he was 11.

He returned to England the following year with his mother Yeta after his parents divorced and they settled in Garston, Herts.

•Text (excluding headline) courtesy of Daily Mirror. PHOTO: Anthony Joshua at his Finchley boxing club with a nice set of wheels (Image: Western Morning News)

Source Daily sports

Posted February 18, 2021

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