Anthony Joshua falls off 2025 Forbes list of highest-paid athletes

Key Points

• Anthony Joshua dropped off Forbes’ 2025 top 50 global sports earners after a sharp decline in fights and a heavy loss to Daniel Dubois.
• Top 50 athletes earned a record $4.23 billion in 2025, with $1 billion from endorsements and off-field deals, raising the entry bar to $53.6 million.
• Despite earnings drop, Joshua’s net worth rose to $308 million, boosted by investments like backing Formula One’s Alpine Racing Team.

Anthony Joshua, the British-Nigerian boxing star who ranks as one of the world’s highest-paid boxers, has dropped off Forbes’ 2025 list of the top 50 earners in global sports.

Just last year, he ranked 16th, bringing in $83 million before taxes, largely from a strong run in the ring and a healthy endorsement lineup. But this year tells a different story, edged out by a sharp decline in ring activity and a bruising loss that has implications beyond the ropes.

Joshua drops after $83 million year

In 2024, Joshua pulled in $75 million from four victories and another $8 million from endorsements with major brands such as Under Armour, Beats by Dre, and Lucozade.

His return to form had seemed promising. But his bout against Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title changed that narrative. Joshua was stopped in the fifth round, having been knocked down four times in what many see as one of the most punishing defeats of his career.

Though he still earned a guaranteed purse of €7 million ($9.3 million), the loss came at a steep cost. Meanwhile, Dubois walked away with close to €29 million ($38.5 million), thanks in large part to pay-per-view revenue and growing global interest in heavyweight boxing.

Athlete pay hits $4.23 billion

The competition to make the Forbes list has also intensified. This year, the earnings threshold jumped to $53.6 million, up from $45.2 million in 2024, a sign of just how much the business of sports has grown.

A surge in media rights deals, international sponsorships, and an expanding NBA salary cap helped push the combined earnings of the top 50 athletes to a record $4.23 billion. Of that, over $1 billion came from off-field ventures, endorsements, business deals, and appearance fees, underscoring the growing importance of an athlete’s brand.

Anthony Joshua’s net worth rises

Still, Joshua remains one of the wealthiest athletes in the United Kingdom. According to the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List, his net worth now stands at €232 million ($308.1 million), a €24 million increase from the previous year.

That puts him ahead of England football captain Harry Kane and boxing rival Tyson Fury. His income has long stretched beyond boxing: in 2023, he joined an investment group backing Formula One’s Alpine Racing Team, adding another high-profile venture to his growing business interests.

He’s also been open about his long-term ambitions. In a 2024 interview with GQ, he said, “Being a millionaire is good, but you have to set your sights higher. The new school of thought is that I need to be a billionaire.” He’s made no secret of wanting to surpass Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s reported career earnings of $700 million.

Performance impacts athlete income

Yet, Joshua’s absence from Forbes’ latest ranking is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can shift in sports. Unlike athletes in team sports, who often have multi-year contracts that guarantee income regardless of performance, boxers face a much more unpredictable reality. One loss can reshape everything, from marketability to negotiating power. With fewer fights on his calendar and smaller purses in play, Joshua is now navigating a more uncertain financial landscape.

As he considers his next steps, both in and out of the ring, Joshua still commands attention. He remains a powerful symbol for many, especially Black British and African fans, who admire his achievements and resilience. But if he’s to reclaim his spot among the world’s top earners, a reset may be in order. That means not just winning in the ring again but also rethinking how his sporting efforts support the broader brand he’s building.