Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has repeatedly expressed his support for Championship side Watford, and it appears that he may soon have tight links to the Hornets.

An investment group associated with Anthony Joshua has been in negotiations about investing in Championship club Watford.

Joshua, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, grew up rooting for the Hornets. And it has now been confirmed that he has ties to an investment firm that has begun talks about investing in the club.

According to Joshua’s representative, an investment firm that has previously provided Anthony with investment options approached him about a potential partnership with Watford Football Club at an early stage. This was an early conversation without even a mention of due diligence, which frequently 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s these types of transactions.”

Despite initial discussions about investing, Joshua chose to prioritize his boxing career. The statement continued, “Anthony is not participating and has no plans to become involved.

“He is fully focused on boxing and has no time at the moment to give to new opportunities outside of his sport. He is a son of Watford and wishes them all the best.”

Watford is presently owned by Italian Gino Pozzo. He has been the dominant stakeholder since buying out Laurence Bassini in 2012.

In 2015, Hertfordshire were promoted back to the Premier League, where they remained for five straight seasons. Watford were demoted in 2020 but quickly returned to the Premier League, spending only one more season there.

This season, the club finished 15th in the Championship under the management of Valerien Ismael and Tom Cleverley. The former Manchester United player has been confirmed as the club’s permanent manager.

They will be aiming to improve, with or without Joshua’s investment next term. The 34-year-old will still be offering his support though, having revealed he is a fan of the club.

Tom Cleverley is currently the manager of Watford.

“I grew up in Watford and a couple of the Watford players used to get their hair cut in the local barbers, so I support Watford,” Joshua told Virgin Radio in 2018.

“My good friend Troy Deeney plays for them as a striker so I’ve got a lot of love for where I grew up – Watford FC but my overall favourite, because of the one man, Cristiano Ronaldo, I’m going to roll with Real Madrid.”

As it stands, Joshua does not have another fight in the calendar. He beat Francis Ngannou in his last bout back in March with a second-round knockout.