Background and career
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni "AJ" Joshua (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He held the unified heavyweight championship twice between 2017 and 2021. He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title during his reigns as champion. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.
As an amateur, Joshua represented England at the 2011 World Championships, winning the super-heavyweight silver medal. He also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, winning gold. In 2014, a year after turning professional, he was named Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine. He won the IBF heavyweight title in 2016, the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles in 2017, and the WBO heavyweight title in 2018. After losing his heavyweight titles to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and regaining them in their December 2019 rematch, he later lost the unified titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and again in their 2022 rematch. In 2024, he challenged for the vacant IBF heavyweight title, losing to Daniel Dubois via knockout.
In 2017, Joshua's fight against Wladimir Klitschko was named Fight of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Joshua was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2018.
In 2017, Joshua was named the world's most marketable athlete by SportsPro magazine. Forbes ranked him among the world's 20 highest-paid athletes in 2019, 2020, and 2024, while he ranked 28th in 2023. As of 2026, Joshua is ranked as the eighth-wealthiest sports figure in Britain.
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua was born on 15 October 1989 in Watford, Hertfordshire, to Nigerian parents who both grew up in Sagamu. Joshua's ethnic background is specifically traced to the Yoruba people, amongst whom he is of aristocratic rank through his great-grandfather, who was also one of the earliest Nigerians to trade with Europeans through the United Africa Company. Joshua's grandmother was an Irish Cirizen. Joshua's paternal grandfather was an amateur boxer while his cousin, Gbenga "Ben" Ileyemi, who introduced him to boxing, is also a professional boxer. The pair made their professional debuts together in 2013.
How Anthony Joshua makes money
Miller's deal with DAZN ensured he received a career-high purse of $4.875 million, which would include two more bouts on DAZN worth $3 million.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
