Nigeria-born Anthony Joshua is fifth richest British sports star after his earnings soar to £35m

NIGERIAN-born world boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is now worth £35m and ranked the fifth richest young sports star in Britain after his earnings soared by £20m over the last two years.

Joshua, 28, has won 20 of his 21 professional fights by a knockout in an amazing career, which has resulted in his wealth increasing by £20m since 2016. According to British broadsheet, The Guardian, he earned £18m for his title bout with Joseph Parker in Cardiff in March, when he added the World Boxing Organisation belt to the three he already held.

Barry Hearn, Joshua's agent, has boasted that will ward will become the world's first billionaire boxer. However, Joshua could leave him as he may soon be poised to sign a new three-year deal with Matchroom, which will earn him an astonishing £100m.

Mr Hearn said: “His commercial potential outside the ring is huge, way beyond Beckham and the world’s top footballers. He has a much bigger cross-over in terms of potential.”

Golfer Rory McIlroy, 29, tops the list of rich British sportsmen after he raked in £110m over the past year, representing an increase of £28m after a string of sponsorship deals with major brands including Nike. He beat Andy Murray, 30, who is second in the sport rankings with £83m as his earnings increased by £6m despite a long-term hip injury.

All the other entries in the Sunday Times Young Sports Rich List are footballers, the wealthiest being Real Madrid and Wales ace Gareth Bale, 28. Bale is paid £18.2m a year after tax, making him the best-paid British footballer in the world and he earns a further £8m from sponsors, taking his fortune up to £74m.

Nationwide, the richest UK-based footballer aged 30 or under is Manchester City’s striker Sergio Aguero, who is fourth with £48m. However, Joshua looks set to top this as Matchroom have just signed a staggering $1bn deal with sports streaming company DAZN, whose budget for boxing is bigger than US giants HBO and Showtime combined.

Mr Hearn added: “Anthony is an astute young man and he knows what Matchroom has to offer him when his contract runs out in November. To start with, Anthony is signed to the biggest and best promotional company in the world and we have the financial clout to make sure the big fights can go ahead at the big venues.

“We also have an exclusive contract with Sky Sports to screen quality boxing and there is also Sky Box Office. On top of all that, Anthony is also a friend, so if he went, it would be like someone in the family leaving."