LONDON: Anthony Joshua could pocket an estimated £75 million ($99 million) when he finally steps into the ring with Tyson Fury in what is expected to become one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.
The long-awaited heavyweight showdown between the two British stars is scheduled to take place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11, bringing an end to years of negotiations, speculation and failed attempts to make the highly anticipated clash happen.
According to a report by The Sun, the fight could generate a staggering £150 million ($198 million) purse, with neither Joshua nor Fury holding an advantage in the split.
Under the reported arrangement, both fighters are expected to receive £75 million each, potentially giving Joshua the biggest single-fight payday of his professional career.
The projected earnings would also surpass the estimated £65 million ($85 million) career-best purses previously earned by each heavyweight.
Joshua and Fury had been linked with a blockbuster meeting for several years. Their first major attempt to make the fight happen came in 2021, when both men were among the leading heavyweight champions.
However, the proposed two-fight deal collapsed after Fury was required to honour contractual commitments to a trilogy bout with former world champion Deontay Wilder.
The two fighters subsequently pursued separate careers and eventually faced Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian defeated Fury twice and also recorded two victories over Joshua.
Now, six years after their initial agreement, Joshua and Fury are finally expected to share the ring in Cardiff.
The fight could reportedly have generated an even bigger commercial return if it had been staged in the United States, with New York’s Madison Square Garden previously mentioned as a possible venue.
Joshua, however, insisted that the blockbuster should take place in Britain, where his professional boxing journey began.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion credited British boxing with helping transform his life and career.
For Joshua, the decision was about more than money, with the heavyweight star making it clear that he wanted the defining fight to happen on home soil.
The December 11 showdown could also carry additional significance because both fighters are now in the latter stages of their careers.
There will reportedly be no rematch clause, meaning the result in Cardiff could stand as the definitive outcome of one of boxing’s most anticipated rivalries.
For Joshua, a potential £75 million payday would provide another remarkable financial milestone in a career that has already included world heavyweight titles, major stadium fights and some of the sport’s biggest commercial events.
For Fury, the contest represents an opportunity to finally settle the long-running debate over which of Britain’s two most prominent heavyweight stars is superior.
With an estimated £150 million purse at stake, the Joshua-Fury blockbuster is shaping up as not only a sporting spectacle but also a major commercial event for British boxing.
