Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are said to be expecting a huge payday following their fight last night (20 December, early morning UK time).
The British boxer ended up defeating the YouTube star with a jaw-breaking knockout in the sixth round.
I mean, it was hardly surprising to most that AJ came out as champ of their heavyweight mismatch, but critics (and many fans) have slammed him for taking so long to do so last night.
It’s been made clear by Paul that it wasn’t ‘rigged’ with him having to skip the post-match conference to head to hospital with a suspected broken jaw. But with Drake even placing a bet, there was a fair bit in it for both boxers, as the shocking sum they would get has been revealed.
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In the lead-up to the fight, it was reported by sources that there would be a mega prize pot of $184 million (around £140 million), which would be split evenly between the pair.
However, Paul eventually took to X with an even huger figure that seemed to reference the fight purse.
“Stop asking me,” he wrote, “$267 million.” That works out at about £200 million.
So, yeah, you can see why, despite the boatload of criticism for the fight even taking place, the two boxers would be more than happy to still go along with it. A decent £100 million for getting in the ring live on Netflix? Why not.
Sports and entertainment accountant Oriana Morrison also told The Independent ahead of the fight: "Even if the lower figure – the rumoured $184m purse – is true, AJ could bring home $92m [£70m]. We haven’t seen a boxing match with a purse at this level since Mayweather vs Pacquiao in 2015 or even Mayweather vs McGregor in 2017. It’s higher than any Saudi purse to date.”
Morrison also added how the fight in Miami would be helpful to get Joshua on the US stage under such a huge spotlight, as they claimed that Most Valuable Promotions (Paul’s company) is 'forcing boxing to modernise its promotion and pay fighters better than established promoters'.
And while Paul and Joshua are said to be taking home these huge sums, Drake ended up losing money, as he put $200,000 (£149,499) on the YouTuber to win.
“The Drake Curse strikes again!” fans wrote on X as the Brit finally took Paul out with a powerful right-hand blow.
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul, Boxing, Netflix
Jess Battison