In a spectacle that blurred the lines between elite sport and entertainment, Anthony Joshua delivered a decisive victory over Jake Paul in Miami on Saturday night, in a bout that generated truly staggering sums of money.
A Lucrative Night in Miami
The highly-anticipated clash at Florida's Kaseya Center saw the two-time heavyweight world champion, Anthony Joshua, face off against the YouTube sensation turned cruiserweight, Jake Paul. The fight, broadcast globally on Netflix, culminated in the sixth round when referee Christopher Young stopped the contest after a powerful right hand from Joshua sent Paul to the canvas.
While the sporting outcome was predictable to many, the financial figures revealed post-fight were nothing short of astonishing. The two fighters agreed to split a reported total purse of £68.5 million. With the bout lasting 989 seconds, this equates to each man earning a remarkable £69,000 for every single second they were in the ring.
The High Cost of Victory for Joshua
Despite the colossal shared purse, Anthony Joshua is expected to take home significantly less than his American opponent. Due to his UK residency, a substantial portion of his earnings will be claimed by tax authorities. According to analysis from AceOdds, approximately 37 per cent of his share - around £25.6 million - will go directly to the IRS.
This financial reality underscores the complex economics behind such crossover mega-fights, where global appeal and broadcast deals can eclipse traditional sporting merit. Many had questioned why a champion of Joshua's calibre would face an influencer whose professional record included a loss to Tommy Fury, but the answer, as the numbers show, was unequivocally clear.
Post-Fight Reflections and Future Ambitions
Speaking after his win, the 36-year-old Joshua was gracious in victory but admitted the contest had challenged him. "It wasn't the best performance," Joshua stated. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him. That has been the request and that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected but the right hand found the destination."
He paid credit to Paul's resilience, saying: "Jake Paul has done really well tonight, I want to give him his props. He got up, time and time again... You have to give Jake his respect for trying, trying and trying. But he came up against a real fighter tonight."
Looking ahead, Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn immediately set their sights on the ultimate prize in British boxing: a long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury. Hearn declared, "We want the Tyson Fury fight of course. That's the fight, the biggest fight. We can do that, by the way, straight away. No interim fights."
Joshua indicated that discussions were already underway, facilitated by His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh and the Riyadh Season team. However, he stressed that the final decision on his next move would rest with his coaching team, who would guide him after his 15-month lay-off from the sport.
The event in Miami has once again proven the immense drawing power of crossover fights in the modern boxing landscape, where financial rewards reach unprecedented levels, even if the sporting purists are left debating their merit.
