Anthony Joshua Took Huge Pay Cut to Keep Tyson Fury Fight in the UK

Joshua Accepts Big Pay Cut to Host Fury Clash on Home Soil

Fans in Britain can finally celebrate as the much-anticipated showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is officially booked for December 11 at the Principality Stadium. The fight staying in the UK is a relief, especially after earlier rumors suggested it would be held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

For Joshua, the chance to boost his legacy by beating The Gypsy King comes at a cost. Reports indicate he has sacrificed a large chunk of potential earnings by agreeing to keep the fight on British soil instead of the more lucrative U.S. market.

The Long Road to This Fight

The possibility of these two titans meeting has dragged on for years. When Joshua took the world by storm in April 2017 by stopping Wladimir Klitschko to add the WBA belt to his IBF title, Fury was struggling with mental health and out of the sport.

A deal was close for a late 2020 clash, with Fury holding the WBC belt and Joshua regaining his titles from Andy Ruiz Jr. However, a legal battle with Deontay Wilder for a trilogy bout blocked the fight.

Joshua's stock dropped after losing consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk and losing all his belts. He then fought and won against less challenging opponents: Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin. Meanwhile, Fury scraped a controversial decision over former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou but later suffered two losses to Usyk himself.

Between those, Joshua was knocked out in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois. As a result, when the fight was finally scheduled, no titles would be at stake, reflecting the dip in both fighters' standings.

Following Fury’s victory over Mariusz Wach and Joshua’s knockout win over Kristian Prenga, the fight was set for a UK venue, delighting fans.

Joshua’s Earnings Slashed for UK Venue

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, revealed that the former two-time heavyweight champion accepted a £10 million ($13 million) pay cut to keep the fight in the UK.

• Hearn’s words: “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.’”

Adding to this financial hit, Turki Alalshikh mentioned at the press conference that shifting the event from New York to Cardiff resulted in losses around £53 million ($70 million).

Despite the fight being held in the UK, organizers aim for a start time just after midnight UK time. This scheduling targets American viewers, offering a better viewing window than if the fight had been staged stateside, where fans often have to watch in the early hours.