Despite bringing the curtain down on Wladimir Klitschko’s two-decades of dominant displays in the heavyweight division with a 11th round knockout in April last year, many still feel that British boxer Anthony Joshua has something to prove.

He will attempt to do that once again on Saturday night when he meets current WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in the ring at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Whichever fighter prevails this weekend will maintain their undefeated status and become the holder of three of the division’s four major belts. The odds are in Joshua’s favour, but the history of the heavyweight division shows that it is anyone’s game.

The winner of Saturday’s fight is expected to go up against American fighter Deontay Wilder for the fourth WBC title later this year.

The winner of that fight would become the first boxer to hold all four major heavyweight belts and cement their place in the history books.

The Klitschko fight raised some concerns about Joshua’s ability to take a punch after he was wobbled in round six. Having yet to face a fellow power puncher of Wilder’s calibre, nothing is certain for Joshua. Depending on results, Joshua will answer his critics one way or another this year.

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However, advertisers and sponsors seem certain that Joshua’s success will long continue.

Anthony Joshua sponsorship deals

Following his victory over Klitschko, Joshua was approached by numerous clothing brands, car companies and electronics manufacturers who wanted him to be the face of their products.

According to data published by sports market intelligence company Sportcal, Joshua signed 11 new sponsorship deals in 2017.

Joshua reportedly made £15 million for fighting Klitschko. Sportcal doesn’t have financial details for all 11 deals, but many are likely worth seven figure sums. One partnership with car manufacturer Jaguar is reportedly worth $1 million annually.

According to Forbes’ World’s Highest Paid Athletes list, Joshua earned $3.5 million from endorsements in 2017.

A good few years

The Anthony Joshua sponsorship deals detailed by Sportcal show just how far the prizefighter has come on over the last two years.

After turning professional in 2013 following his Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games, Joshua signed his first deal in October 2014 with ticket provider Stubhub and another the following month with sports social media platform Sportlobster.

He agreed five more deals in 2015. He signed with kit supplier RDX Sports and renewed his deal with Stubhub. Likewise, he attracted an “Official Hydration Partner” in ORS Hydration Tablets, bookmaker William Hill and sports promotion company Matchroom Sport.

Joshua followed up those seven deals with a further 18 over the next two years. The athlete is now an ambassador for major brands such as JD Sports, Sky Sports, luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet.

The weird

Texo Scaffolding

It’s not uncommon to see brand logos adorning the attire of boxers during fights. However, these sponsors usually operate in the luxury or sports markets.

Nobody would have expected an Essex-based scaffolding company to serve as Joshua’s main sponsor for his world title fight against Charles Martin in 2016.

According to Texo Scaffolding owner Robert Hayward, “It was a great piece of publicity for us, as our website almost went into meltdown, as literally thousands of people logged on, presumably to see what we were all about.”

ZipTel

Joshua partnered with Australian telecommunications supplier ZipTel in 2016 to promote the company’s new app, which allows users to send messages and make calls internationally for free.

The boxer was one of many athletes required as an “ambassador” for the brand alongside the likes of Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale and Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.

Essentially, ZipTel paid Joshua to sign a few gloves and send a few tweets.

And the wonderful

Matchroom Sport

This is the deal that helped Joshua to reach the big time. Signing with Matchroom put Joshua under the wing of leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who has been the driving force behind the boxer’s rise to fame.

Hearn and Matchroom are responsible for organising and promoting Joshua’s fights. Joshua’s has Hearn to thank for managing his gradual climb and securing the Klitschko deal that took him to the top.

Under Armour

Joshua signed a two-year deal with leading sportswear brand Under Armour in 2016.

The boxer frequently sports Under Armour clothing in his social media posts.

Speaking on the deal, Joshua said:

“It is a partnership that has been incredibly successful to date, the brand has helped me increase performance with custom products and new technologies.”

So successful, in fact, that the two parties signed an extension on the deal ahead of time. Agreed in 2017, this extended the partnership beyond 2019.

Financial details aren’t available. However, we can assume that Joshua, now one of the UK’s biggest sports personalities, is receiving a little more than custom products and new technologies.

Anthony Joshua’s 26 sponsorship deals

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Source: Sportcal

Anthony Joshua net worth: How much has he made so far?

According to Forbes, Joshua made $22 million in 2017. The bulk of those earnings ($18.5 million) came from his two fights against Klitschko and Carlos Takam. Endorsements added $3.5 million to his total earnings.

A breakout year for the rising talent doubled his bank balance. According to Celebrity Net Worth, as reported by the Daily Star, Anthony Joshua’s net worth is now estimated at around $45 million.

However, that figure will climb again following Saturday’s fight. According to the Express, Joshua’s team has agreed a 67:33 split in their favour on the fight purse. The organisers expect pay-per-view sales to generate £20 million to be split between the fighters. If the fight reaches its estimate, Joshua will take home £13 million for his part in the fight.

Read more: The sponsorship deals that made Cristiano Ronaldo the world’s highest paid athlete