Take one look at Anthony Joshua and you’ll see an athlete built like a god who is a smart talker – but under the surface is a man who has been steadily building an empire since his pro debut ten years ago.

The British heavyweight – who fights American Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday – started off in boxing with his mantra ‘stay hungry, stay humble’, but he has made no secrets of his lofy ambitions.

One of those is to become the greatest fighter of all time and inspire youngsters. He is a huge role model for thousands of children across the UK who want to get into boxing. But we also know money is a big motivator for him too.

‘When I first started, the aim was to become a multimillionaire,’ he told GQ in 2017. ‘But now there are ordinary people, grandmas and granddads, who are worth millions just because of property prices. So the new school of thought is that I need to be a billionaire.

‘Being a millionaire is good, but you have to set your sights higher. If I’m making £10million from my next fight, my next target has to be making ten times that. And if I get to £100m-150m, why not go for the billion? I know self-made billionaires. It’s hard, but it’s possible.’

Anthony Joshua has admitted money is his ‘love language’ ahead of his upcoming fight

Joshua has enjoyed a rags to riches story after growing up on a council estate in Watford – and now boasts a huge car collection and lavish lifestyle

That might be a stretch for a boxer. Floyd Mayweather has claimed to be worth more than £1billion and his nickname is literally ‘Money’. He is 13 years Joshua’s senior and has had time to build an empire of fighting promoting, exhibition fights, merchandise and endorsements.

Joshua has a way to go to reach that level. Today, he is believed to have around £109m in the bank, according to the Mirror, after more than decade of multi-million fights and sponsorship deals. But the position he finds himself in is impressive given where he started.

His story is a rags-to-riches tale of a man who grew up on a council estate with an early life of causing trouble and drug-dealing, run ins with the police and court dates. An electronic tag on his ankle for a period as he fought his way up the ranks.

After finding success in the 2012 Olympics and being catapulted into fame and fortune, he has not shied away from flaunting his wealth. We know Joshua is something of a petrolhead – that’s reflected in an impressive car collection he has amassed over the years.

His garage is worth around £1m and includes a £150,000 Range Rover SVO – which was custom made with his name inscribed in the tread plates – and a £93,000 white Jaguar XJR. This is one of his favourite cars that he treasures so dearly – because it makes him stand out.

Joshua owns a £150,000 Range Rover SVO and even a £600,000 Rolls Royce Phantom stretch

‘When I pull up in a Jag, it’s like a watch,’ he told the Guardian. ‘Certain watches, everyone has, but there are certain watches only a few people know about. The Jag is a car that only certain people know about.’

And that’s before we even mention his £600,000 Rolls Royce Phantom stretch, his £146,000 Mercedes v8 BiTurbo or his relatively ‘modest’ Audi A3 S-Line.

He hasn’t forgotten his loved ones around him though. He immersed his mother Yeta in his love of cars by purchasing a Range Rover for her – and also bought a house in north London for her back in 2013.

That was his first venture into the property world – he’s now made quite a mark. Between 2019 and 2020 he spent around £7.5m on properties, according to the Mirror, with his total expenditure on new homes coming to around £10m.

Joshua has already made moves towards becoming a promoter and has signed a handful of young stars to his management company 258 Management. But he’s also waded into the housing market by setting up 258 Investments – which run his property empire for him.

Joshua is said to have around £109m in the bank after building up a number of endorsements and a business empire featuring a management company and merchandising arm

He has over a dozen properties in his portfolio – including one worth £1m in north London and three in Watford worth a combined of £1.5m.

Joshua is a smart man. He has his own website where fans can get kitted out in his AJBXING gear – selling boxing gloves, sportswear, hats and fitness accessories.

He has deals with Jaguar Land Rover, William Hill, Hugo Boss and sports giant Under Armour – who have taken him around the world on their private jet. Those deals earned him £8,453,578 in the year to February 2021.

However, that star commercial power has looked to be fading slightly – after it was revealed Joshua’s 258 group lost around £3m in sponsorships after he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 – the fight that saw him relinquish his world titles.

In the subsequent financial year, up to February 2022, his endorsements almost fell off a cliff, with the company bringing in just £5,527,952, which amount to a loss of 35 per cent.

Joshua – who would go on to lose to the Ukrainian again last August – remains a huge draw and high profile figure despite his lack of world title belts. But it’s no surprise that he’s so keen to get back into contention for the biggest fights and the lucrative rewards they promise.

He says money is his biggest motivator ahead of his bout with Jermaine Franklin on Saturday

The 33-year-old has already been promised a money-spinning bout with his nemesis Tyson Fury this summer if he can steer past Franklin this weekend. A fight of that magnitude could be staged in Saudi Arabia – whose officials were putting up a record site fee of £125m when the bout was initially planned in 2021.

Joshua told Hearn what the main thing pushing him was during his first press conference for this fight.

‘Money, money, money,’ Joshua said. ‘I like making money. Straight up. This is a prizefighting sport.

‘I’ve been broke. My family has been broke. I know what this s*** means and I do it because I’m good at it and I hustle hard.

‘When it’s all said and done no-one will care about me no more. So, I’ve got to make the most of it while I’m here.’

Money is Joshua’s buzzword at present. In his own words – it’s his ‘love language’ that he uses to help his people, like he’s done for his mother, his friends and his entourage. It’s not a tool to boast, he says, but one that helps him support those he cares about.

Joshua is often seen enjoying lavish holidays in Dubai and relaxing with his entourage

The heavyweight has been pictured all over the world enjoying the comfortable lifestyle he has developed over the last decade

‘Just at this time, money is the first thing that comes to mind,’ he told the Independent this week. ‘Money is part of a big jigsaw puzzle. The reason I say “money” is just because I know how much it helps people. That’s my love language; I can’t be there for you emotionally, I can’t be there physically, because I’m working – but I can wire you some cash!

‘I’m not saying “money” because I’m balling, like I’m getting 50 Range Rovers and saying, “F*** you, you can’t come and sit in my car”. I’ll get 50 Range Rovers to say, “Everyone come and feel what it’s like to sit in this Range Rover, and let’s put a plan in place so that you can get one, too”.’

Spreading the love – as Joshua would put it. He’s been seen on countless holidays where he’s enjoyed trips to Dubai, riding around on jet-skis with his closest friends and larking about in swimming pools and rooftop bars.

Recently he’s been hard at work in his training camp with trainer Derrick James in Texas ahead of his fight with Franklin, but in recent years Joshua has been spotted on skiing trips, sipping coconuts on the beach – and even shadowboxing at the top of a skyscraper.

Perhaps Stay Humble does not quite fit the persona of AJ anymore – but his fairytale rise to the top of the sport, and the dynasty he has forged – is one to be admired.