Anthony Joshua punches his way into the sporting richlist

Anthony Joshua still lives with his mother in a former council flat. Now he’s being compared to Muhammad Ali.

Anthony Joshua, right, lands a decisive uppercut in round 11. Picture: Getty

Anthony Joshua’s similarities to Muhammad Ali will help to propel him to become Britain’s highest-paid sports star, according to marketing experts.

Joshua, 27, thrilled 90,000 fans at Wembley stadium after beating the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round to add the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Organisation world heavyweight titles to his International Boxing Federation crown.

A picture of Joshua standing over his fallen rival has remarkable echoes of a photograph taken in 1965 of Ali standing over Sonny Liston — side-by-side pictures of Joshua and Ali in similar poses went viral yesterday, attracting millions of hits on social media.

Anthony Joshua knocks down Wladimir Klitschko and Muhammad Ali stands over fallen challenger Sonny Liston in 1965. Picture: Getty/AP

Joshua, like Ali, won an Olympic gold medal as an amateur before turning professional, and marketing consultants believe that his emergence into a heavyweight division that has been moribund for several years could herald a new era for boxing.

Joshua has also spoken of his dreams of following Ali’s example and staging a world heavyweight fight in Africa. He has family in Nigeria and spent six months at school there.

Nigel Currie, a British sports marketing expert, said: “There are shades of Muhammad Ali about Anthony Joshua and that is exactly what heavyweight boxing needs. After that win at Wembley, and the style of the win, I believe Joshua will now go on to become the richest British sports star.

British boxer Anthony Joshua, centre, celebrates winning against Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Picture: AP

“His personality, the fact that he is such an eloquent talker and his physical similarity to Muhammad Ali can only help make him an even bigger star.”

Joshua earned $22million from his victory on Saturday but still lives with his mother, Yeta, in a former council flat. That win alone has made him one of Britain’s top-earning sports stars and he is now on course to overtake Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One racing driver, who has a fortune of pounds $180m according to the Sunday Times Rich List, Wayne Rooney ($141m), Sir Andy Murray ($100m) and Rory McIlroy ($96m). Mr Currie added: “Boxing is one of the sports where the top stars do earn mega-millions, and Joshua is now in that bracket.” Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has revealed that he is already in talks about staging a lucrative bout in China.

“When you talk about legacy there are markets and boundaries that Anthony wants to break,” he said. “America, Africa and we’re already in talks with China at the moment about doing a fight at the Bird’s Nest stadium. The Middle East as well. If we’re going to go on for eight or ten years these are the places we need to go for him to become a global star.”

Hearn also said that the TV audience on Sky Sports Box Office set a British pay-per-view record, though the figure has not been disclosed.

The Times