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BOXERS are used to taking hits in the ring, but it’s usually their pay cheques that pack the biggest punch.
Tonight beloved British fighter Anthony Joshua is reportedly making a whopping £40million for his clash with Francis Ngannou, in Saudi Arabia.
Getty
Getty
AFPIt follows the news that Mike Tyson could be set to make up to £39million for stepping in the ring with Jake Paul, in July, as part of Netflix’s first foray into boxing.
The world’s fiercest fighters regularly command multiple millions for fights – and that’s not factoring tidy sums from sponsorship and endorsement deals.
From seven-figure streaming deals to strip clubs and documentaries, we reveal the top earners’ estimated net worths and the staggering sums they earn both in and outside the ring.
Mike Tyson – £8m
Legendary boxer Mike Tyson is believed to have earned a staggering £233million during his boxing career.
But his measly earnings, reported to be just £8million today, are believed to be due to his elaborate spending.
Among his excessive splurges were a £3.5million luxury car collection, multiple tigers reportedly costing £54,000 each, an animal trainer costing £97,000 a year and a hype-man paid £233,000 a year.
In 2003, Tyson declared bankruptcy and was reported to have owed £18million.
Since then, he’s clawed back some of his fortune including by appearing in two of The Hangover movies and is set to earn a massive sum from his upcoming clash with Jake Paul.
The fight, which was announced this week and will be broadcast on Netflix, is rumoured to be between the single-digit millions and £39million.
Francis Ngannou – £12m
Rising star Francis Ngannou has earned big sums since moving away from UFCAFPFormer UFC champion Ngannou made his boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October last year.
It’s claimed the clash, which he narrowly lost on points, earned him a cool £8.2million and he could be earning more than double that fee to fight Joshua tonight.
Ngannou reportedly will rake in £15.6million and also has several lucrative sponsorship deals including with CBD Research Labs, Cryo Pain Relief, Gym King Fight Division and The Fight Game.
His current net worth is believed to be around £12million, which is a big jump from 2022 when he was reportedly worth £930,000.
Deontay Wilder, £23.5m
AP:Associated PressAs one of the top heavyweights in the world, Wilder can demand staggering sums in the millions when getting into the ring.
He was paid £21.9million for the second of three fights with Tyson Fury rematch and £7.8million for the other two clashes.
The Bronze Bomber also picked up £15.6million for his Luiz Ortiz rematch in 2020 and was believed to have picked up no less than £7.8million last December, when he lost to Joseph Parker.
But the boxer is no stranger to an endorsement deal – it is thought he had made £390,000 from brand work last year.
He’s put his name to Everlast Boxing, fast food restaurant Raising Cane’s, PureKana CBD and Raising Cane’s.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he’s worth a cool £23.5million.
Gennady Golovkin, £23.5m
Gennady Golovkin pocketed £15.6m from one fight aloneGettyThe Kazakh star may not be a big personality but he’s certainly unleashed his earning potential.
In 2022, Golovkin was thought to have pocketed £15.6million from his bout with Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez.
And he could rival Alvarez’s earning potential too – he signed a three-year six-fight agreement for £77.9million with streaming site DAZN in 2019.
He has also had sponsorship deals with Nike, Hublot watches and Tecate beer during his career.
Celebrity Net Worth estimates the boxers is worth £23.5million.
Amir Khan, £31m
AFPThe catchweight was handed a two-year ban for unintentionally doping but he’s in no danger of going broke.
Khan reckons he’s made over £62million over the course of his boxing career – including a reported £9million for his clash with Saul Alvarez in 2016.
But in his reality show Meet the Khans, his wife Faryal Makhdoom took control of his finances after Khan admitted he had “no idea” where £4.9million of his own cash had gone.
He and his wife have been building a luxury ‘Dubai style’ wedding venue in his hometown Bolton, named The Balmayna, which was unveiled in January.
The boxer, who also earned a reported £400,000 on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017, was estimated to be worth £31million by Celebrity Net Worth.
Oleksandr Usyk, £43m
EPABefore his two fights with Anthony Joshua, the Ukrainian had only received two purses over £1million.
Without the two Joshua fights, Usyk’s career earnings would be around an estimated £6million but the profile boost has landed him in good stead.
How to watch Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou
- Joshua vs Ngannou will be shown live on DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.
- You can live stream all the action from the DAZN and Sky Sports Box Office websites as well as their apps, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
- The DAZN UK PPV price will be £19.99, which includes one month’s DAZN subscription.
- For existing DAZN subscribers, the PPV price will be £18.99.
- The Sky Sports Box Office price for the fight has been set at £19.95 for Sky customers in the UK.
Last August, he reportedly scooped £4.9million from his fight against Daniel Dubois and was due to go up against Tyson Fury a month later, but the British boxer pulled out due to injury.
Usyk and ‘the Gypsy King’ are currently scheduled to clash in May and it has been reported they could split a £121million pot.
The low-key fighter’s endorsement deals are thought to be worth around $1million with clothing maker Jaxet, BoxRaw and WePlay Esports.
It’s estimated that Usyk could be worth as much as £45million.
Wladimir Klitschko, £70m
Klitschko could bolster his fortune with a bout against Tyson Fury in the futureRex FeaturesFor Klitschko’s final two fights he earned a staggering £28million in total, sweetening his defeats against Fury and Joshua.
Although he retired in 2017, he earned an estimated pre-tax £155million during the entirety of his boxing career.
Hunky Klitschko – who once dated actress Hayden Panettiere – also earned a fair whack from sponsorship deals with Hugo Boss, gym McFit and Mercedes Benz.
In 2022, he joined the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Brigade in the war against Russia and until that point, had been plotting a return to the ring to fight Fury.
Klitschko, who at one point was believed to have been offered £60million to come out of retirement as part of a three-fight deal, is believed to be sitting on a £70million fortune, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Manny Pacquiao, £171m
AFP - GettyDuring his career, Pac-man has earned at least £389million from fights and endorsements including £28million from a fight against Miguel Cotto.
In 2015, Forbes named the Filipino the second richest athlete in the world.
He retired from his fighting career in 2021 and has since had cameos in mainly Filipino movies.
He also served as a senator in the Philippine government from 2016 to 2022 and was a presidential candidate in the 2022 elections.
But he’s put his good fortune to use too – in 2015 he built 1,000 homes for the poor in the Philippines.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, he’s worth an impressive £171million.
Tyson Fury, £180m
Tyson Fury has earned his millions both in and out of the ring with a Netflix series and book dealsReutersThe Gypsy King signed a whopping £77million contract for five fights from ESPN back in 2021.
Fury picked up £21.5million for his third fight with Deontay Wilder, £24million against Dillian Whyte and £20million in his most recent clash with Derek Chisora.
It was claimed Fury earned at least £65million from his controversial win over Francis Ngannou in October and will make £100million for two fights with Usyk, the first of which is scheduled for May.
The Morecambe-based boxer’s cheeky personality leaves him in demand for personal appearances too.
He was paid £11.7million for a single appearance at WWE’s Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia where he wrestled Braun Strowman.
His Netflix 10-part docuseries and his four autobiographies will no doubt have paid a pretty penny too. It isestimated Fury was worth an impressive £180million last year.
Canelo Alvarez, £214m
ReutersThe Mexican super middleweight signed a £284million fight contract with Oscar De La Hoya’s promotion company and DAZN.
The deal set Canelo on a path to become one of the richest sportsmen.
Between June 2018 and June 2019, Canelo earned £74million from his fights and deals, according to Marca.
Last year, he topped up that sizeable sum with reported earnings of £11.7million for his clash with John Ryder and up to £35million with Jermell Charlo.
Now Canelo is said to be finalising a deal to fight Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas, which could earn him a cool £27.3million.
He’s sponsored by Mexican beer company Tecate, cognac Hennessy and Cleto Reyes boxing gloves.
In December, Forbes estimated Canelo was worth at least £214million.
Anthony Joshua, £215m
Getty
@anthonyjoshuaThe Watford-born powerhouse reportedly earned a staggering £59million for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk back in 2022.
Last year, he also left Sky Sports to sign an exclusive contract with DAZN that will see him rake in another £97million in exchange for two fights every 12 months until he retires.
Tonight, it’s believed he could bag an impressive £40million from his fight with Ngannou tonight.
Outside the ring, Joshua is expected to have raked in at least £95million through coveted sponsorship deals.
Sports clothing Under Armour, Hugo Boss, Land Rover and Jaguar are all worth millions to Joshua and saw him earn a total of £8.5million in 2021.
In 2020, The Sunday Times Rich List estimated Joshua was worth £115million and according to Sports Bible he has raked in at least £100million since then.
Floyd Mayweather Jr, £311m
AP:Associated PressThe exhibition fighter has made his millions through his pay-per-view bouts – with him featuring in four of the most watched fights.
He’s also invested in some savvy business ideas in his downtime.
He runs his own promotions company who represent 12 boxers and will take a cut from their earnings.
Watch company Hublot, Burger King and gambling company Fanduel all reportedly have paid Mayweather to be the face of their brands.
He also owns Vegas strip club Girl Collection which has takings of up to £195,000 on fight nights.
Mayweather Jr, who has teased potential upcoming fights including a rematch with Pacquiao, was estimated to be worth $400m (£311m) by Celebrity Net Worth.
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