Anthony Joshua appeared to reveal that he now has a wife as he spoke about his private life in the aftermath of his victory over Jake Paul. Joshua dispatched Paul with ease in the early hours of Saturday morning after returning to the ring for the first time in 15 months.

Joshua agreed to fight Paul at the Kaseya Center in Miami in his first fight since suffering a shock defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley last September, with the two boxers reportedly earning £70million apiece for their endeavours in the ring. Paul refused to engage with the Briton early on as he stayed on his toes and tried to keep out of AJ’s way. But Joshua ultimately delivered the defining punch in the sixth round after knocking Paul down twice in the fifth.

Joshua, who has a 10-year-old son with former partner Nicole Osbourne, tends to keep family matters private.

But after being asked about his lengthy spell away from boxing, the 36-year-old explained: “I was trying to fall back in love with boxing. I realised if you’re a family man, I was working away from home.

“I was spending time with my friends and my wife wasn’t happy. So I had to look at the decisions I was making and I had to come back home to boxing.

“I had to sacrifice. I had to take a look at my life, make necessary changes to put my love back into the sport.”

Joshua took a break for a year before undertaking a three-month training camp ahead of his showdown with Paul.

And the Watford-born star, who is said to own a £200million property portfolio, added: “This sport is unforgiving.

“If you don’t give it 100 per cent attention, those belts will be torn away from you and be put on someone else’s waist who gives it the love and attention that boxing needs.

“I wasn’t giving it enough love and attention. So it wasn’t that I stepped away because I didn’t want to fight. I stepped away because I knew if I’m going to be in boxing, I need to be 100 per cent. That’s what it was.

“Your boy’s got to try and stay focused. It’s difficult. Staying focused takes effort. I do need to, though, because in boxing if you don’t give it the love it needs, your belts will spend the night with someone else.

“So I need to focus and I took the time out because I just wanted to regain the focus I need if I’m going to fight.”