British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has said it would not be a “wise decision” for his son to follow in his footsteps and become a professional boxer.
The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion told BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that he would prefer his son Joseph Joshua, known as JJ, to become an accountant, but added that he wanted his son to carve out his own future.
Joshua also told presenter Lauren Laverne how he was arrested by police for a fight as a teenager living in Watford, and how he ended up homeless at the age of 17.
Reflecting on his boxing career, Joshua said he found the sport at a time when he needed it most.
He told Desert Island Discs: “I used to just sit outside the mansion and smoke cigarettes. Then I started getting into trouble. I just wanted to make money. That was my goal.”
“I was always getting into trouble.”
Joshua first stepped into the ring at age 18 after a cousin encouraged him to take up boxing, and he says boxing helped him “have a good outlet for my energy.”
Five years later, Joshua shot to fame after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
Image source, BBC Radio 4/BBC Sounds
A year later, Joshua decided to turn professional and his breakout moment came in April 2017, when he faced Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko at the age of 27.
In front of a sold-out Wembley Stadium crowd of 90,000, AJ, as he's known to fans, knocked out the 41-year-old two-time world champion in 11 rounds in one of the most gruelling yet entertaining heavyweight bouts of all time.
He later said that his win over Klitschko had changed his career.
Knockout Artist – AJ went undefeated in 22 professional fights, winning 21 of them, and developed into something of a rock star over the next decade.
While Joshua was trying to come to terms with the loss, he initially denied that it had affected him much.
“I don't feel anything,” he said before throwing his two championship belts out of the ring after Usyk defeated him in a stunning rematch.
But in his post-fight press conference Joshua apologised, fought back tears, held his head in his hands and said the defeat had “torn me apart”.
In an interview with Desert Island Discs, he said the losses had taken a toll on him, adding that at one point he went into a “dark room” and didn't speak to anyone for five days to “heal from the inside out.”
Joshua said it was around this time that he realized he needed to have “more meaningful conversations” with his family.
Outside of the boxing world, AJ is known as an extremely private person who values loyalty to his family above all else.
He grew up as one of seven children, splitting his time between his mother's and his father's homes.
He has spoken fondly about his mother, Yeta Odusanya, and son, JJ, in various interviews.
As soon as his career took off, he bought his mother a house to live in.
“When you stand up as a man in your family, freedom means making sure your parents are looked after as well,” he told the BBC.
“For me, it's freedom to know that my mother is happy and cared for, no matter where she is in the world.”
Joshua said he has “always boxed away from my family,” adding that he is a father and son first and foremost.
Does he want his son to get in the ring?
He previously said he never imagined that kind of life for “little JJ” and wanted his son to become “the best man he can be.”
In an interview with Desert Island Discs, Joshua revealed that his thoughts about his son's future haven't changed. He said that if he were to give advice to JJ about what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would tell him to “be the best you can be.”
“If I had to choose [a career] “As for him, I would probably encourage him to study accounting because I think understanding numbers is a good thing,” he said.
But what does his own future hold? Are there plans to retire?
He has no plans to retire just yet, but said he would like to set up a care home for retired boxers with poor health conditions once he eventually retires from the sport.
“It will be part of my boxing legacy to give something back to the sport that raised me,” he said.
“I know I won't be in a tough situation forever, so I have to make smart decisions while the iron is hot.”
“Desert Island Discs” was recorded on Friday, April 12th, 2024.
