‘I want my eight-year-old son to be an accountant and not follow me into the ring’, says Anthony Joshua.

Anthony Joshua has today revealed he would like his son to become an accountant rather than follow him into the ring.

The heavyweight champion, who is one of the UK’s most successful sports stars, shared his unexpected career ambitions for eight year old JJ in an interview with Desert Island Discs.

Joshua, 34, said: ‘I don’t think it’s a wise decision [to follow in my footsteps]…If I was to choose for him I’d ask him to probably look at accountancy because I think its good to understand numbers. So when you have that kind of insight you can now become an entrepreneur and invest in business. I want him to focus on business.’

The fighter said he did everything possible to be a father first and fighter second.

He said: ‘He is cool. He gets it. I have always kept boxing out…So he gets that. He knows that I’m just dad.’

Anthony Joshua shared his unexpected career ambitions for eight year old JJ in an interview with Desert Island Discs

Gold medalist Anthony Joshua of Great Britain poses with his medal after the victory ceremony for the men’s super heavyweight

Joshua said he had come to appreciate the value of family relationships while locked away in in a pitch black dark room for five days to escape the pressures of his career.

He said: ‘I went in Monday and came out Friday…When I was in the dark room there was that feeling where I was like I just need to have a bit more meaningful conversation, a bit more time that I can spend with my mum, my dad, my aunty, uncle, sisters. ‘How are you?’ Not what is going on. How are you feeling? Lets go on a walk and catch up. It just kind of brought home what is important.’

Joshua said he was contemplating retirement in the next couple of years not least because of the risks associated with the sport.

He said: ‘Someone asked me the other day when am I retiring and I was like in about two years. I was thinking to myself as a fighter you should say I don’t even think about retiring. I don’t think about my health. All I want to do is conquer. That’s the true warrior spirit. But naturally in your quiet moments in your dark room you have time to think. I do wonder and I do say to myself after all of this is said and done the one thing I would hope for the most is to keep my health in tact. Its your health that is the most important thing that you’re putting on the line.’

Joshua said fighters tended not to talk about the impact of the sport on their physical and mental well being.

‘None of us fighters talk about our health after. We can notice it in fighters when their health is deteriorating but we never actually talk about it amongst ourselves. All we focus on is winning.’

The star also revealed he planned to open up a care home for retired boxers with poor health once he quit the sport.

Joshua said fighters tended not to talk about the impact of the sport on their physical and mental well being. (Joshua at the NAOMI: In Fashion 2024)

Joshua was also asked about the issue of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia where a number of high profile fights have taken place

He said: ‘That would be part of my boxing legacy that I gave something back to the sport that made me.’

Joshua was also asked about the issue of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia where a number of high profile fights have taken place.

He admitted that he tended to live in his life ‘under a rock’ and didn’t really know what was going on in the country.

The show’s presenter Lauren Laverne highlighted some of the regime’s human rights abuses before asking him if sports stars should boycott the country.

The star said he was not adverse to having a conversation about what was going on in the country but he didn’t want to do anything which might affect his own career.

Asked about a boycott he said: ‘That’s like telling a teacher from the UK don’t go out there and teach because there’s human rights…It’s a great opportunity and I understand that we are discussing human rights but I don’t want to let it get in the way of my career as well. How can I help without it affecting my career.’

Joshua said he was aware that his current high profile wouldn’t last forever.

He said: ‘Sports is a small window and we’re forgotten about so quickly…I really understand that sooner or later I’m going to fade off and someone else is going to be on the Desert Island beach. But while I’m on the Desert Island I’m trying to hunt for treasure and make sure I leave with something.’