Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer. He is of both Irish and Nigerian descent.
Anthony Joshua was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. At age 11, Joshua and his mother moved to Nigeria where he enrolled in a boarding school for six months. At age 12, Joshua returned back to the United Kingdom and continued living there.
To learn more about Anthony Joshua’s life before and during his professional boxing career, keep reading.
Anthony Joshua’s Life Before Boxing
Anthony Joshua moved to Nigeria while he was a teenager, but only for a year. He enrolled in a boarding school called ‘The Bells’ that would primarily teach Joshua to be more disciplined.
His time at the boarding school taught him survival methods as he was often bullied by the older guys, and beatings and punishments were part of the course. Joshua admitted that the boarding school made him tougher and prepared him for the boxing ring.
Also, the boarding school experience, as well as life in Nigeria, taught Joshua humility. At age 12, Anthony Joshua returned to the United Kingdom.
He then enrolled in Kings Langley Secondary School in Watford where he shaped his athletic abilities. He even broke the school’s Year Nine 100m record by finishing at 11.6 seconds.
His interest in boxing started in 2007 at the age of 18, when his cousin suggested he tries out boxing. Joshua’s boxing career took off in 2009 when he won the Haringey box cup.
His Boxing Career
After winning the Haringey box cup in 2009, Joshua also won it the next year. In 2010, he won the ABA Championship which was quite an accomplishment for a juvenile boxer like him.
Post the ABA Championship success, Anthony Joshua was offered a spot on the Great Britain boxing team. Not long after accepting the spot, Joshua’s boxing successes continued and he earned himself the title of British amateur champion.
Joshua attended the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He won the gold medal in the men’s super heavyweight boxing competition.
In 2013, Anthony Joshua officially began his professional boxing career with Matchroom Sport. The beginning of his professional career was marked by the fact that he had 21 consecutive wins.
In 2014, Joshua earned his first title which was the WBC International heavyweight title. In 2015, Joshua earned the Commonwealth heavyweight title after a fight with Gary Cornish, which lasted for 90 seconds.
In 2016, he won the IBF heavyweight title after which it was announced that he would be fighting Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA Super title. The fight was regarded as the biggest heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
Joshua managed to win the fight in the 11th round and it is speculated that he pocketed £15 million from that fight. From the very beginning of his boxing career, Anthony Joshua’s focus was not on the money, but the medals and titles he would be winning.
To watch the full Joshua vs Klitchko fight, click on the link below:
Anthony Joshua’s Life Outside of Boxing
Although Anthony Joshua’s net worth is now around £61 million, he rarely spends his earnings on himself. Joshua is definitely keen on giving and spoiling the people who have been by his side.
He purchased one property for himself, which he shared with his mother and son. He also gifted his ex-girlfriend with a penthouse worth £500,000.
Anthony Joshua’s gifting doesn’t stop there. He often treats his friends with shopping sprees and takes them on holiday in private jets. He even gifted his old coach with a new BMW.
Joshua places extreme importance on education. Not only does he try to motivate the kids that go to the boxing club with tickets to his fights, but he also pays for the local kids’ school and medical care.
He often goes back to the boxing club where he started and offers to replace or add any pieces of equipment necessary. Joshua also gifted the club with a minibus equipped with a TV and PlayStation for the kids to travel in.