Boxing
NIGERIA’S DUO OF ANTHONY JOSHUA AND ODION IGHALO RATED AMONG 18 RICHEST SPORTS STARS!
Two Nigerians have been rated among the richest sports stars of the world who are aged 30 or under.
According to a list unveiled by Sunday Times in Britain, Anthony Joshua is ranked the second richest after Gareth Bale of Real Madrid.
Joshua is also the only non-footballer in the list dominated by Manchester United players. This may not be a surprise as Manchester United is one of the wealthiest clubs in the world.
There are five players inside the top 18 – with Paul Pogba leading the way from the Old Trafford outfit.
The midfielder, 27, sits third in this list with a wealth of £50million. His worth has increased by £13m from 2019 seeing him jump up five places from eighth.
Odion Ighalo, a new entrant into the list, is number 15. He is one of the five Manchester United players rated. Joining them is goalkeeper David de Gea. The Spaniard – who became Manchester United’s highest-paid star after signing a new £375000-a-week contract in September – is joint-fourth at £34m.
His worth rose by £10m to see him move alongside Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Like De Gea, Anthony Martial signed a new deal at United last year – worth £200,000-a-week – and that increase has helped him become a new entry in this list. He sits joint-11th with wealth of £20m alongside Liverpool centre back Virgil van Dijk, who is another new entry.
Luke Shaw complete the quintuplet of Red Devils.
New entry Shaw sits joint-13th with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah at £19m.
Meanwhile Ighalo is just beneath them in joint-15th. The on-loan striker’s £18m wealth is explained by his substantial £300,000-a-week wage at parent club Shanghai Shenhua.
Ighalo, who will be 31 in June, is on loan at United until the end of the month with the Premier League side contributing £130,000 a week towards his wages.
In the top 18 Anthony Joshua is the only non-footballer having made the cut.
The boxer sits second in the list with a wealth of £107m. This is an increase of £58m from 2019 – the biggest fortune rise of anyone.
The 30-year-old made the majority of that money from his two bouts with Andy Ruiz Jnr. The first fight – which resulted in a shock loss – took place at Madison Square Garden, New York in June.
The rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – which saw him regain the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts, is reported to have earned him an estimated £60m before tax and deductions.
Only Gareth Bale surpasses Joshua. Bale, who was second last year and turns 31 in July, has moved into first place with a wealth of £114m. The Real Madrid forward’s fortune has increased by £20m. His basic salary is £350,000 a week, which can rise to £600,000 a week.
The most surprising entry in the top 10 is Daniel Sturridge. He is ninth in the list with a wealth of £22m. This is despite the fact he has been without a club since March.
The 30-year-old is currently serving a four-month ban for breaching betting rules and saw his contract at Turkish club Trabzonspor terminated by mutual agreement as a result.
Daniel Dubois came back from two knockdowns to deal Fabio Wardley a brutal and bloody first defeat as a professional and take the WBO heavyweight title in a thunderous all-British clash on Saturday.
Referee Howard Foster finally stepped in at the start of the 11th round to signal the end of the fight, with Wardley bleeding heavily from the bridge of the nose and with his right eye almost closed.
Dubois rose twice from the canvas, including being dropped by a right hook in the first 10 seconds of the fight, to pulverise Wardley and become a world heavyweight champion for the second time in his career.
“It was a war. We came through the sticky moments. Thank you, Fabio, for that,” said Dubois, who was previously IBF champion after the belt was vacated by Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, with the Ukrainian winning it back in July 2025.
“What a great fight. What a great battle, man”.
The win was Dubois’s 23rd as a professional in 26 fights, while Wardley now has a 20-1-1 record.
Veteran promoter Frank Warren, who manages both men, said it was the best heavyweight fight he had ever put on and confirmed there was a rematch clause in the contract.
For some viewers, however, it was also an uncomfortable watch that could have been stopped earlier.
The 31-year-old Wardley, who was promoted to WBO champion last November after Usyk vacated the title, was making his first defence and showed immense heart as he took a tremendous beating yet refused to capitulate.
He had his opponent on the floor, a blow Dubois, 28, later dismissed as a ‘flash knockdown’, almost with the opening bell still sounding.
Dubois was back on one knee in round three but came close to a stoppage in the sixth with the reigning champion bleeding heavily and on the ropes.
The Londoner continued to land blow after blow on Wardley, who wobbled but refused to give up.
His corner inspected the facial wounds after the eighth, and doctors and the referee took a look in rounds nine and 10, but still the fight continued, with Wardley increasingly struggling to stay on his feet and fighting on instinct.
“You witnessed something special tonight,” Warren told the BBC. “Two men baring their hearts and souls in the ring gave everything, didn’t leave one bit outside the ring.
“They were getting hit with bombs that would take people out, and they stood it.”
-Reuters
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World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has backed Anthony Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury in their long‑anticipated clash later this year and has been helping him with his game plan.
Usyk, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts, has been working with former opponent Joshua in recent months and said he has been impressed by the Briton’s development.
He added that 36-year-old Joshua deserves to beat compatriot and fellow ex-champion Fury, 37, after changing his approach.
“Fury is an unbelievable fighter, and Fury is a very dangerous guy, but I look at how Anthony works and how he has changed,” Usyk told the BBC.
“I like Fury, he is my greedy belly’s best friend, he’s an amazing fighter, but I want Anthony to win – he deserves it.”
Joshua, a former two‑time world heavyweight champion, is scheduled to return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25. The bout will be his first since a car accident last December in which two close friends were killed.
Usyk said his recent work with Joshua has focused on technical and mental preparation.
“We speak about strategy, boxing skills and psychology. We speak about fights, our fights, and I say ‘champ, come on, don’t stop’,” he said.
The Ukrainian is set to defend his world titles against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt.
-Reuters
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- Summary
- *Joshua to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh after car accident hiatus
- *Fight marks start of Joshua’s multi-fight deal in Saudi Arabia, announced by Turki Alalshikh
- *Promoter Hearn says Joshua vs Fury is signed for later in the year
Former world heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have signed up for a long-awaited clash later this year, promoter Eddie Hearn said on Monday.
“Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!,” Hearn posted on Instagram.
The announcement came after confirmation that Joshua will return to the ring against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh on July 25 in the Briton’s first fight since he was in a car accident last December that killed two close friends.
U.S.-based Albanian Prenga, 35, is a former kickboxer with a ring record of 20 wins and one defeat since he turned professional in 2016.
The fight, billed as “The Comeback”, was announced by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.
Turki also posted on X a message “to my friends in Great Britain – it’s happening. It’s signed” while his Ring Magazine said the fight would happen in Q4 2026 on Netflix.
SIXTH-ROUND KNOCKOUT
Joshua, 36, has a record of 28 wins and four losses with his most recent fight a sixth-round knockout of American Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami.
“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and today is the next step on that journey,” said Joshua.
“I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”
Hearn told Sky Sports television he wanted a “tune-up bout” in July before facing Fury potentially in November.
“July and November are the two dates that have been presented to us now and we expect to move forward,” he said. “Fury has just had his tune-up fight with 12 really vital rounds to get him sharp for the next one and I expect us to do the same.”
Fury called for a showdown with Joshua after he outclassed Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
“Next, I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for. I want you AJ, Anthony Joshua, let’s give the fight fans what they want, the Battle of Britain,” he said then.
-Reuters
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