By Harry Davies
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury will both make over £100million if they meet in the ring - but it won't be the richest fight ever.
Joshua and Fury have been linked to fight for almost a decade and a path has now opened up for them to meet in the ring if Fury beats Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed heavyweight world title fight next month. 'AJ' has been promised a shot against the winner of that fight after he brutally KO'd former UFC champion Francis Ngannou last month.
If Fury and Joshua do end up making over £100m each, it won't trump the estimated £230m Floyd Mayweather pocketed and £80m Conor McGregor took home for their 2017 crossover fight. Mayweather also earned around £200m for his 2015 'Fight of the Century' against Manny Pacquiao, who earned £100million for his defeat.
When asked if 'AJ' vs Fury fight would be the largest fight purse ever, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn told Piers Morgan Uncensored: "I mean, certainly, you are talking north of 100 million, for each guy. The biggest fight ever… We would do alright. We take a percentage of Anthony Joshua.
"It varies across what he earns. As a fighter starts to become more powerful, more popular, your relationship with them extends through a longer contract. Don't forget Anthony Joshua signed a life long contract with us three years ago [which is] very unique in the sport. He’s the most loyal fighter… He's involved in the business, as well, which is the first time we’ve ever done that with a client.”
Joshua boosted his net worth to an estimated £180m in his latest win against Ngannou and also pocketed around £30m for his wins last year. When Hearn told Morgan the percentage they take from Joshua's purse was “not too dissimilar” to a 10 per cent cut, his father Barry insisted the TV host wasn't paying attention to the bigger picture.
"You are just bringing it down to money, you are missing the whole point. You have got to look at the bigger picture, you are looking at it like £10 million is going to make a world of difference to anybody. It doesn’t to us, but the difference is Anthony Joshua is also our friend. He understands what we’ve invested in him," he said.
