Anthony Joshua Took Massive Pay Cut to Bring Tyson Fury Fight to UK
Anthony Joshua Accepts Huge Pay Cut for UK Showdown with Tyson Fury
The long-anticipated clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is officially set for December 11 at the Principality Stadium, much to the delight of British boxing fans. There had been strong speculation that the bout might happen at Madison Square Garden in New York, but it will instead take place on home soil.
For Joshua, the chance to face Fury on British turf came at a significant financial cost. Reports reveal he sacrificed a sizeable portion of his earnings to make sure this historic fight remained in the UK rather than the United States.
The Journey to the Fight
This matchup has been a long time coming. When Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 to hold both the WBA and IBF heavyweight belts, Fury was dealing with mental health struggles and out of the boxing spotlight.
There was an agreement for a fight at the end of 2020 after Fury claimed the WBC title from Deontay Wilder and Joshua regained his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr. But legal issues involving Wilder prevented that showdown, forcing the fighters to wait longer.
Joshua’s standing dipped following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, costing him all his titles, while Fury's reputation took hits after a controversial win against Francis Ngannou and then losing back-to-back fights to Usyk. Joshua also suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois during this period.
Despite the setbacks, Joshua rallied with wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin, while Fury bounced back by defeating Mariusz Wach. After Joshua’s dramatic second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga, the fight finally gained a date and a British venue.
Joshua’s Financial Sacrifice
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed the former two-time heavyweight champion turned down over £10 million ($13 million) to keep the fight in the UK.
"People started saying, ‘please bring the fight to the UK,’ and AJ started feeling that.To keep it in the UK, he's got to turn down eight figures plus. AJ goes to me, ‘whatever you think,’ and I'm like, ‘no, no, no, it's your money. I can't make that decision for you.’He asks, ‘what [do you] think I should do?’ and I told him I think the UK is where the fight should be because there's an edge for him to have this fight in the UK, but it's a lot of money. And he went, ‘f*** it, we'll do it in the UK.’"
Further reports from Turki Alalshikh at the press conference suggested moving the event from New York to Cardiff caused an overall loss of about £53 million ($70 million).
Time Zone Challenges for UK Fans
The fight organizers are aiming for a start time after midnight UK time to attract the American audience, which means UK viewers won’t get the convenience of a prime-time slot. Still, it’s far better than the usual 3 or 4 a.m. start times Brits face when major fights happen in the US.
