WBA (super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and former unified cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will face off in one of the biggest fights of the year on Sept. 25. The bout will have significant ramifications, as the winner could face Tyson Fury, the WBC and The Ring champion, or Deontay Wilder.
But how about the intrigue for this fight? According to InsiderSport, Joshua vs. Usyk will air across 170 countries and territories on DAZN, and Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, predicted the bout would draw a capacity crowd in excess of 60,000 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
MORE: How to watch Joshua vs. Oleksandr on PPV
Joshua and Usyk are the second- and fourth-ranked fighters in the heavyweight division, according to ESPN, and established champions, so the pay day for each competitor is also expected to be substantial. Here are the figures that Sporting News was able to compile before Saturday’s bout.
How much money will Anthony Joshua earn vs. Oleksandr Usyk?
Per TotalSportal, Joshua is set to earn £10 million ($18,812,574 AUD) against Usyk. The site also predicted that if the fight sells around 450,000 pay-per-view buys in the United Kingdom, Joshua could make £15 million ($28,215,652 AUD) in total.
The U.S. Sun reported Joshua earned £10 million from his fight against Kubrat Pulev but missed out on £8 million since the bout was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a much less significant sum than what he earned in his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. in December of 2019 (a guaranteed £46 million or $86,536,579 AUD, per Chris McKenna of Daily Star Sports).
It is unclear what the split of the pay-per-view percentage will be for this bout, but Sporting Free reported the total could be 60 percent for Joshua and 40 percent for Usyk.
According to a report from WealthyGorilla in June, Joshua’s net worth is currently $80 million.
How much money will Oleksandr Usyk earn vs. Anthony Joshua?
TotalSportal also reported Usyk will make £3 million ($5,643,689 AUD) for Saturday’s bout, which is the biggest payday of his career according to Sportekz.
If the pay-per-view target (reportedly 450,000 buys) is met, Usyk could make another £1-£2 million ($1,881,229 to $3,761,600 AUD). Usyk’s previous best payday was a reported $2.5 million for his unanimous decision victory over Derek Chisora in Oct. of 2020.
Usyk’s net worth is $4 million USD, so this will be a significant upgrade in his career earnings.
Who else is fighting before Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk?
Depending on the pay-per-view totals of Saturday’s bout, Joshua and Usyk’s payout could increase or decrease slightly based on the totals listed above.
Here is a recap of the full card, which will begin on Saturday at 3 a.m. (AEST).
WATCH THE JOSHUA-USYK CARD ON DAZN
Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk — WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles
Lawrence Okolie vs. Dilan Prasovic — WBC world cruiserweight title
Campbell Hatton vs. Sonni Martinez — super featherweights
Callum Smith vs. Lenin Castillo — light heavyweights
Maxim Prodan vs. Florian Marku — IBF international welterweight title
Christopher Ousley vs. Khasan Baysangurov — WBA intercontinental title