The 24-year-old reached the final of the light-heavyweight category at the re-arranged Olympics in Tokyo last year.

He was beaten by Cuba’s Arlen López.

Afterwards Whittaker tweeted: "You don't win silver, you lose gold. I'm very disappointed - I feel like a failure."

Distraught from falling short of gold, he refused to wear the medal at the medal ceremony.

It only seems to have added to his marketability, however.

"I don't really get excited about much, but I'm looking forward to starting the journey," Whittaker said.

"I've had a lot of people come to me regarding management, but I believe the right fit for me was 258, they have proven themselves with other fighters and they have the same vision as me.

"Not only that we have known each other for a while now so it made sense to team up."

258 MGT was set up nearly 10 years ago shortly after Joshua won the Olympic super-heavyweight gold medal at London 2012, the launch pad for a professional career which has seen him crowned world heavyweight champion.

The agency claims to be "a bespoke management company developing athletes beyond their sport" and they claim they see a big future for Whittaker,

The multi-year deal will see 258 MGT manage all aspects of Whittaker’s career from broadcast relationships, fight negotiations, commercial partnerships, training camps and brand building.

"We identified Ben a long time ago and have been pursuing him for a while now," 258 MGT managing director Freddie Cunningham said.

"His performance at the Olympics and the media attention he generated, not only back in the UK, but also in Japan only confirmed what we knew.

"We want to make him into one of the biggest stars of the sport and one of the first from the UK to break into the Asian market and appeal to a younger audience demographic.

"Ben will need to work hard in the ring and perform to his full potential.

"But his character and entertainment, inside and outside of the ropes, there is no limit to what he can achieve."