What Will Anthony Joshua Do After Boxing?

Anthony Joshua could've made history and become a three-time heavyweight champion if he had defeated Daniel Dubois in their recent clash. 

Joshua was odds-on with bookmakers and casino sites to achieve the milestone, but following the shock loss at London's Wembley Stadium, he is now at a career crossroads. 

It's not an unfamiliar feeling for AJ after tasting three previous defeats before he came up against Dynamite Dubois, but it was widely reported a victory could've paved the way for a heavyweight clash against Tyson Fury. 

While that doesn't look like happening anytime soon, could Joshua hang up his gloves for good?  In his post-Dubois fight press conference, Joshua made it quite clear his future, for now, is inside the ring rather than outside. 

He said: "Of course I want to continue fighting. We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? Are we going to run away? We're going to live to fight another day. That's what I am - a warrior."

One potential avenue for Joshua could see him fight former world champion Deontay Wilder, but he has hinted at a possible rematch clause with Dubois. 

However, Sky Sports News understands Dubois isn't under obligation to have an immediate rematch with Joshua. Former world champion Barry Jones described Dubois' victory over AJ as a "demolition job" and said the two-time champion made "novice mistakes".  He now thinks Joshua should quit the sport. 

When asked on the 5 Live Boxing podcast if he should "walk away", Jones said: "I think he should. He's a credit to the sport and has reinvented sport in Britain in many ways. He made stadium fights seem the norm.

"He's got all that money, he's still got his health, and he'll be a celebrity until the day he dies if that's what he wants."

Following In Fury's Footsteps 

Joshua will walk away from boxing one day, and that could still be sooner rather than later despite his post-match comments. 

The star appears to have been preparing for his future in recent years after he and professional golfer Rory McIlroy invested in the Alpine Formula 1 team. 

But what else will Joshua do when he quits boxing? 

Like Jones says, he will be a celebrity until the day he dies, so there would no doubt be plenty of TV offers on the table. 

AJ could go down a similar route to Fury, who has appeared in four-part ITV documentary Meet the Furys, and also last year's Netflix series At Home with the Furys. 

The Watford-born fighter is just 8/13 to star in his own documentary post-boxing, and 5/4 to appear in a movie or TV show. 

The latter would see him follow in the footsteps of legendary British boxer Lennox Lewis, who was a three-time world heavyweight champion, the accolade Joshua still craves. 

Lewis appeared in 2001 motion picture Ocean's Eleven - when he "boxed" Wladimir Klitschko - and alongside footballer-turned-film star Vinnie Jones in 2006 gangster movie Johnny Was. 

Another popular route for ex-pro boxers is to become a pundit on the sport. 

Lewis has experience in this field, too, and Joshua is 4/6 to go down a similar path. 

Jungle Joshua

But if Joshua goes further down the celebrity route after he hangs up his gloves, then a reality TV show appearance could be a possibility. 

It is a well-trodden path for former boxers, with ex-fighter Tony Bellew appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023, and earlier this year Ricky Hatton took part in Dancing on Ice.

Like Bellew, David Haye and Amir Khan have also appeared in the Australian jungle-based show. 

AJ is 2/1 to follow in their footsteps, and if he does retire from boxing soon then he might have time to appear in the 2024 series, or even the next Dancing on Ice series (3/1), which is due to air in the new year. 

In 2014, Joshua named Lewis and Evander Holyfield as two of his top five greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time, alongside Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Larry Holmes.

Holyfield appeared in the 13th series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2014, and fellow former boxer Audley Harrison took part in the 14th series in the same year. 

Joshua is 7/1 to follow one of his heroes into the CBB house, while it's 10/1 he takes on a gruelling SAS selection course in Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which Bellew appeared in four years ago. 

Another natural crossover for boxers is the bright lights of American mixed martial arts promotion company UFC. 

While it's 4/1 for AJ to turn to UFC, the star admitted in 2022 that he would probably get his "a** kicked" if he stepped inside the Octagon. 

Speaking in a YouTube video with GQ, he said: "All credit to them guys, but it’s not my profession and I’m going to respect them guys who have spent years putting in time, training, grappling, wrestling, stand-up, takedown, submissions."

What's more, AJ is 9/2 to swap boxing for wrestling and join WWE.

Lewis is said to have been offered £5 million by WWE chairman Vince McMahon to become a professional wrestler in 2002, but Joshua would command a far bigger fee nowadays if he was looking to make such a move. 

Checkmate For AJ

Like Lewis, Joshua is also an avid chess player, and recently admitted the sport has "taken over [his] life". 

In March, he told GQ Sports: "I've been playing for about five years now, which isn't that long, but how much I play it feels like I've been playing for ages. 

"It's actually taken over my life. It's a game I really love. It makes me feel like I'm quite intellectual." 

AJ is 8/1 to forge a professional chess career when he quits boxing, but he could have other options on the table. 

The fighter is good pals with former pro footballer Troy Deeney after they randomly met in a barber shop in the 2010s. 

Joshua is a fan of Watford FC, who Deeney previously played for, and it's 16/1 he continues his sporting investments by plunging some cash into the Hornets. 

Since hanging up his boots, Deeney has dabbled in football management - unsuccessfully so far, after he was sacked by Forest Green Rovers just 29 days into his player-coach stint - and has become a pundit. 

He is also a presenter on talkSPORT, and Joshua is 25/1 to follow in his friend's footsteps and host a show on the radio station when he steps out of the ring for good. 

Whenever that time comes, AJ won't be short of options.