Notwithstanding his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is expected to earn more than twice as much as Dubois for their IBF heavyweight bout at Wembley on Saturday.
Joshua was promised £6 million only for showing up, with possible revenues of up to £25 million based on pay-per-view, according to a report by Sporty Salaries via GB News.
Dubois, who upset the odds to knock out Joshua, is reported to have a guaranteed purse of £3.5m, which could rise to £10m.
The 34-year-old Joshua’s higher earnings are attributed to the attention he commanded for the fight, despite losing to his fellow Brit.
Following his fourth career defeat, Joshua has vowed to continue fighting amid calls for his retirement.
In a video posted on his Instagram account on Monday, he said, “We came up short, but we have got to look at all the positives, and that’s the mindset that we have to have—a positive one, always.
“Look at what we’ve achieved in the space of 11 years, and I want to thank every one of you that’s been riding with me. What a rollercoaster journey! But you know what the problem is, is that it’s far from over yet.”
Dubois’ victory has propelled him to the top of the heavyweight division, potentially setting up future fights with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk. A rematch with Joshua is also a possibility.
The fight reportedly drew a record crowd for a British boxing match, with Turki Alalshikh claiming an attendance of “more than 98,128” fans.
