Anthony Joshua explains why he doesn’t want his son to become a boxer and offers him another job

Anthony Joshua doesn’t want his son to enter the world of boxing.

The former two-time world heavyweight champion has an eight-year-old son, Joseph Joshua – better known as JJ.

Boxing is a risky business, but it allowed the British star to become a superstar and secure his financial future.

But AJ now has a vested interest in keeping his son in the family business, insisting he’s better off without lacing up his gloves.

“I don’t think it’s a wise decision (to follow in my footsteps),” he said on Desert Island Discs.

“If I had to choose for him, I would probably ask him to go into accounting because I think it’s 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.

“He’s cool. He understands. I’ve always continued to box. So he understands that. He knows I’m just a dad.”

The former champion’s son would be of training age at age nine and would be eligible to begin competing in the sport the following year.

But the Briton is unlikely to let that happen, with the focus elsewhere at the moment.

Joshua regularly keeps his family out of the spotlight of the sport, which has seen him rise under enormous pressure to the brightest lights.

The former Olympic gold medalist’s career has been extremely positive overall and has seen him rise to the top of the heavyweight division.

Many sons of famous fathers have gone on to fight in the sport, including Conor Benn – son of Nigel Benn – and Chris Eubank Jr – son of Chris Eubank.

And the 35-year-old believes the famous name would put a target on his son’s back from the start.

He said: “You have to be so strong, you have to be so mentally strong to be a boxer.

“I’m not saying he won’t be mentally strong, but I wouldn’t want to put him under that mental pressure.

“I’m sure he could fight, he’ll definitely have the genes to do it.

“But the mental side, that’s not said, I wouldn’t want him to experience that.

“Imagine ‘Anthony Joshua’s son boxes’. There would immediately be a target on his back. Would I put him under that pressure? Probably not.