ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
Anthony Joshua will earn a British fight purse record of £46million for his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr who will gets £10m, reports say.
The former unified heavyweight champion is aiming to regain the titles he lost to Ruiz Jr on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.
The decision to stage the rematch in Saudi Arabia was widely criticised, with the country consistently accused of human rights violations.
Saudi Arabia massively outbid rival venues in New York and Las Vegas, and the Daily Star claim Joshua will pocket the biggest pay day in British boxing history.
Ricky Hatton’s £20m fight purse against Floyd Mayweather in 2007 stands as the largest pay day for a British boxer, but Joshua will eclipse that figure.
While Joshua earns just under £50m for his appearance in Saudi Arabia, Ruiz Jr will receive just over £10m for the second fight.
Joshua’s previous best pay day was the £18m he earned in his first showdown against Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden last June.
With Sky Sports charging £24.95 for the pay-per-view, Joshua’s earnings are set to go even further than £46m.
Joshua is the favourite going into the second fight, just as he was for the first bout.
While Ruiz Jr has vowed to shock the world a second time, Joshua insists he treats his boxing career like a 15-year prison sentence.
‘When I went into boxing I was getting into a lot of trouble,’ Joshua said. ‘A major court case, I beat the court case, and I prayed
“God, if you give me a second chance at life I will make all the changes in the world”.
‘When I beat that court case, I got into boxing and I focused. Same thing with Ruiz, give me a second chance and see what I can do.
‘When I had that second chance at life when I was getting in trouble, I just dedicated myself.
I said I would put myself on a 15-year prison sentence to boxing and have that focus.’
