Julius Okorie
Nigeria-British boxer Anthony Joshua may have lost to Daniel Dubois in their IBF heavyweight showdown at Wembley, but the former two-time heavyweight champion is set to pocket more money than his conqueror.
Dubois knocked out AJ in the 5th round of their encounter but the attention the bout attracted courtesy of Joshua’s popularity is said to be responsible for the huge monetary returns as no fewer over 98,000 fans showed up for the fight.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to a report by Sporty Salaries via GB News, Joshua was guaranteed £6m just for showing up, with potential earnings rising to £25m depending on pay-per-view.
Dubois, who floored Joshua on the other hand, is reported to have a guaranteed purse of £3.5m, which could rise to £10m.
Joshua’s higher earnings are attributed to the attention he commanded for the fight, despite losing to his fellow British boxer.
Despite recording his fourth defeat, Joshua has told anyone who cares to listen that retirement is out of the question despite calls in some quarters for him to do so.
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.
READ ALSO :Anthony Joshua’s Promoter Hints Of Rematch Despite Defeat
“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 may not be carting away as much money as Joshua in the battle of Wembley, but the victory fired him to the top of the heavyweight division, potentially setting up future fights with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has also hinted of a possible rematch.
The Wembley fight reportedly drew a record crowd for a British boxing match, with Turki Alalshikh claiming an attendance of “more than 98,128” fans.
According to Forbes, Joshua was worth £62.8m in May 2024. Back in 2019, Joshua earned a career-best purse of £66million when he reclaimed his WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF belts from Andy Ruiz Jr.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
