British boxing superstar Anthony Joshua is set for a staggering £70 million payday after agreeing to face YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Christmas showdown that has sent shockwaves through the sporting world.
The Mega-Money Deal
According to reports from the Daily Mail, the total prize pot for the highly anticipated bout stands at an astonishing £140 million, with both fighters set to receive equal shares of £70 million each. This represents one of the largest purses in British boxing history and far exceeds Joshua's previous earnings.
The two-time heavyweight champion last fought in September 2024, suffering a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois. Since then, the British fighter has been largely inactive, making this potential December clash with Paul an unexpected but highly lucrative return to the ring.
Fight Details and Broadcast
The blockbuster event is scheduled to take place in Miami during the Christmas period, with potential dates being either December 12 or 19. In a significant development for sports broadcasting, the fight will be shown live on Netflix, continuing the streaming giant's recent foray into live boxing events.
This marks Netflix's second major boxing broadcast after successfully streaming Paul's previous fight against Mike Tyson in November last year. That event achieved remarkable viewing figures, peaking at 65 million live concurrent streams and drawing an average of 108 million viewers worldwide.
Career Context and Previous Earnings
While the £70 million purse represents a career-high for Joshua, the Olympic gold medallist is no stranger to substantial paydays. His last victory against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in March 2024 earned him approximately £30 million.
Other recent fights have seen Joshua pocket around £10 million each for victories over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin. The dramatic increase in earnings for the Paul fight reflects the enormous global interest and commercial appeal of the matchup.
For Jake Paul, the £70 million represents a significant step up from his usual eight-figure paydays. The American regularly earns around $10 million per pay-per-view fight, with his victory over Mike Tyson reportedly netting him £30 million.
Path to the Showdown
The fight materialised unexpectedly after Paul's scheduled bout with Gervonta Davis was cancelled due to Davis facing serious legal allegations including battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping from a former girlfriend.
Paul's business partner Nakisa Bidarian has confirmed that the potential showdown with Joshua would be pursued as a professional heavyweight fight, despite the experience gap between the two boxers.
"This would be pursued as a straight up professional fight," Bidarian stated. "I think there's certainly an experience gap between the two of them in terms of where they're at in their career."
He added: "From my perspective, Joshua's an active heavyweight. The likelihood of Anthony Joshua being able to land a heavyweight punch is much higher than what Mike Tyson had."
While nothing has been officially confirmed regarding rules and regulations, the fight is expected to break numerous viewing records, with millions anticipated to tune in worldwide for what promises to be one of the most talked-about sporting events of the year.
