Anthony Joshua could become the highest paid sports star in the country, according to sports marketing expert Andy Sutherden.
Joshua was crowned new IBF world heavyweight champion after stunning Charles Martin with a second-round stoppage at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
The 26 year-old became the fifth fastest man in history to become heavyweight champion and Sutherden believes Joshua has the potential to overtake Rory McIlroy as the highest earning sportsman in the UK.
“I really think this gentleman has the opportunity to become this country’s highest earning sports star,” said Sutherden.
“Of course we’ve got Formula 1 drivers earning a significant amount of money but I think Joshua could be up there in realms of £30m a year.
“He’s got a deal with Matchroom [Boxing] of course that gives him a cut of the pay-per-view but I think his unique combination of athleticism and power could see some interesting companies coming forward over the next few weeks and months, looking for an association.”
Joshua has been linked with a number of domestic opponents including current WBA and WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and former WBA heavyweight David Haye.
However, Joshua is still yet to fight outside of the UK, and Sutherden believes the 2012 Olympic champion will have to fight abroad in the United States, if he is to become one of the highest earners in boxing.
“I think he does for the big money,” said Sutherden. “So much of his anticipated revenue is caught up in pay-per-view deals but you’ve got to hype these boxing fixtures before they actually come onto a pay-per-view channel.
“So he might need to learn how to hype a fight in order to attract the pay-per-view eyeballs.
“But if he does that successfully I think the world is his oyster. He has got to overcome the more traditional sports in the US but of the four heavyweight belts, there’s a Brit sat on three of them.
“I think the US are intrigued with what’s going on with heavyweight boxing and Anthony has a fabulously relatable story. [It’s] almost a story of human repair after his entry into a boxing gym eight years ago.
“He arrived with an ASBO so his story of personal recovery is something that I think will endear him to companies as well as fans.”
