Anthony Joshua will earn a FRACTION of what he did against Oleksandr Usyk when he takes on Jermaine Franklin this weekend, but that’s still 10 TIMES more than his opponent… so how much will he really earn?
Anthony Joshua will enter the ring this weekend as a contender, rather than a champion, for the first time since 2016, and with that, his fighting bag has dropped dramatically.
The 33-year-old is fighting to salvage his career following a devastating pair of losses to Oleksandr Usyk, who now holds Joshua’s WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts, as he takes on Jermaine Franklin.
Joshua is the heavy favorite to prevail against his American counterpart, with a possible matchup against WBC champion and long-term rival Tyson Fury next, though how many times have we said that.
Surprisingly, for a fighter used to packing Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there are still tickets available for the clash at the O2 Arena just two days before the April 1 event.
And, unsurprisingly, Joshua will earn significantly less than in his rematch against Usyk, where he walked away with £32.5m, even as he went down. Joshua earned around £15 million for their first meeting, while his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 netted a whopping £66 million.
Anthony Joshua (left) takes on Jermaine Franklin (right) at the O2 Arena on Saturday night
Joshua will earn significantly less than in his fights against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk (right)
Against Franklin, however, Joshua will have to settle for around £10 million, with no belts on the line and against a fighter involved in only one notable fight – a points loss to Dillian Whyte in November last year.
However, the 6-foot-6 heavyweight not only draws his opponent in height, but also in his fight purse, with the American reportedly set to earn around £800,000. However, that could rise to over £1 million if he claims an upset win.
If Joshua emerges victorious and manages to seal a long-awaited fight against Fury, the £66m earned against Ruiz Jr could soon be dwarfed, even with three losses now on his record.
Of course, Joshua, who has more than 25 million followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, has other avenues of income, having made millions through his business partnerships with Beats, Jaguar Land Rover, Under Armor and Hugo Boss.
The former champion also signed an exclusive deal with streaming platform DAZN last year, which will see him earn £100m over the course of five years with the company.
Joshua has been vocal about how much his income means to him in the build up to the fight. When asked what motivates him, he said: ‘Money, money, money. I like to earn money. straight up. This is a professional wrestling sport.
‘I’ve been broke. My family has been ruined. I know what this shit means and I do it because I’m good at it and I rush a lot.
‘When all is said and done, no one will care about me anymore. So I have to make the most of it while I’m here.
Sign up here to watch Anthony Joshua’s fight with Jermaine Franklin on DAZN