Anthony Joshua got his revenge against Andy Ruiz Jr on Saturday night – and earned a fortune in doing so.
The Brit, who suffered a shock defeat to the Mexican-American at Madison Square Garden six months ago, produced a boxing masterclass in Saudi Arabia to become heavyweight king once again.
While he will return to England with his belts – and possibly fight next in London. Joshua will also take home an incredible pay packet.
AJ’s final sum for the rematch will depend on the pay-per-view sales generated by the event, mainly in the UK, but also worldwide.
It is expected, though, that he will earn between £40million-£60million for part 2 with Ruiz.
The Brit’s huge earnings will not be the biggest in boxing history, as Floyd Mayweather holds that record for his £250m fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
But it will mean Joshua could double his net worth to more than £100m. He is currently estimated to be worth around £42m by Forbes.
Despite going into the rematch as the champion, Ruiz Jr banked a set fee of around $10m (£7.7m), significantly less than Joshua’s payday.
The reason for this is because many details of the second fight between the pair were pre-agreed in the contract for their first bout – through a rematch clause.
This clause had Ruiz Jr’s purse for the second fight already set out, though it is known his team managed to negotiate a slightly higher number after initially kicking up a fuss about the bout taking place in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua, speaking ahead of the rematch, said: “When you look at it, out of every hundred quid, a lot goes to the taxman and a lot to the trainers and the team. Before you know it, what you’re left with in reality is about 30 to 40 per cent.
“Honestly, one of my main objectives in this sport was not to be owned. Not to be taken advantage of. It’s not easy in this sport. You put so much into it but before you know it your career is over.”
Saudi Arabia was chosen to host the Ruiz Jr vs Joshua rematch ahead of a rival bid from Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
It is understood the Saudi Arabian authorities paid more than £30m to host the Joshua’ vs Ruiz rematch.
Next up for Joshua is likely to be a fight against Kubrat Pulev, but the one everyone will be hoping gets made at some point will be against either Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury, who fight in February for the WBC title.
Both men thought Ruiz could win in Saudi and deny AJ the chance to become undisputed heavyweight champion and if he comes through his mandatory defenses, then he will be set for an even bigger payday.
