Anthony Joshua Accepts Massive Pay Cut to Secure Tyson Fury Fight in UK
Fans can finally celebrate as the highly anticipated superfight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is confirmed for December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The event staying on British soil comes as a relief, especially after rumors suggested it might be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York.
For Joshua, defeating The Gypsy King would greatly enhance his legacy, but reports reveal he agreed to a significant pay cut to ensure the fight remains in the UK, despite potentially higher earnings if held stateside.
The Long Road to the Showdown
The saga stretches back years. When Joshua triumphed over Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 to unify the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, Fury was dealing with mental health struggles and was absent from boxing. A fight deal nearly happened at the end of 2020 after Fury claimed the WBC belt from Deontay Wilder and Joshua regained belts from Andy Ruiz Jr., but Wilder's legal battle for a trilogy match blocked that plan.
Over time, the matchup lost momentum. Joshua dropped consecutive bouts to Oleksandr Usyk, losing his belts, before stringing together wins against lesser opponents. Fury eked out a controversial decision against ex-UFC champ Francis Ngannou—despite being knocked down—and then suffered two losses to Usyk.
Joshua also endured a knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois amid these ups and downs. Now, no titles will be at stake, and both fighters’ reputations have dimmed. Still, after Fury’s win over Mariusz Wach and Joshua’s stunning second-round KO of Kristian Prenga, the fight was set with a UK venue.
Joshua’s Earnings Take a Hit
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed the former two-time champion agreed to sacrifice around £10 million ($13 million) to keep the bout local. Hearn said:
“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 the financial impact, Turki Alalshikh mentioned at the press conference that shifting the fight from New York to Cardiff could cost around £53 million ($70 million) overall.
UK fans may rejoice in having the fight at home, but organizers aim for a start time after midnight UK time to capture the American audience. This timing still beats what would happen if the fight took place in the US, where UK viewers often face 3 or 4 a.m. start times.
