Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua got into an ugly fight on Friday, pitting a YouTuber-turned-boxer against a former two-time world heavyweight champion.
To avoid any confusion, Joshua falls into the latter category, with the Englishman coming into the fight in Miami as the heavy favorite but ultimately failing to deliver the one-punch, early knockout that many fans crave.
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Instead, the 36-year-old chased the evasive 28-year-old Paul around the ring for several rounds before getting four knockdowns and a sixth-round KO – as his American opponent was ultimately unable to beat the referee’s count.
It was a traumatic night for Paul, who claimed he suffered a broken jaw. The influential figure comes into this fight off the back of a points victory over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June, but was more notable for his decisive victory over heavyweight legend Mike Tyson last November.
Tyson was 58 at the time, and the fight was controversial for fans and pundits but lucrative for the boxers; Paul and Tyson reportedly won $40 million and $20 million, respectively. Now, it looks like Paul and Joshua will surpass Paul’s payday in that fight – and it’s still some way off.
In the days leading up to the November match being confirmed, daily mail According to the report, “sources tell us that the total bonus is approximately 140 million pounds. [$184m] It seems to be an equal split between Joshua and Paul. However, Paul later used a different number on X (formerly Twitter), seemingly referring to the battle wallet.
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a few days later mailAfter the report was published, Paul tweeted: “Don’t ask me again. $267 million.” That works out to about £200 million.
Sports and entertainment accountant Oriana Morrison tells independent Tuesday: “Even if the lower number — the rumored $184 million purse — is true, AJ could take home $92 million [£70m]. We haven’t seen a boxing match of this caliber since Mayweather vs. Pacquiao in 2015 or even Mayweather vs. McGregor in 2017. It is higher than any Saudi wallet to date. “
Jake Paul (left) is stopped by Anthony Joshua after suffering several knockdowns (Netflix Getty Images)
Referring to Floyd Mayweather’s fights with Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor, Morrison continued: “America has never really had the chance to appreciate the talent and charisma of Anthony Joshua. It’s the perfect backdrop for this fight and it’s definitely a turning point for American boxing.
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“Most Valuable Player [Most Valuable Promotions, Paul’s company] and Jake Paul are attracting new audiences to boxing. They forced the boxing world to modernize its promotions and offer fighters better pay than existing promoters. “