ANTHONY JOSHUA’S all-British heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury is set to be the fifth-richest fight in boxing history.
And the much-anticipated bout, now pencilled in for 2021, is expected be the most lucrative fight EVER to not feature Floyd Mayweather.
It’s official FURY VS JOSUAR AGREED FOR NEXT YEAR, I got to smash @bronzebomber first then I’ll annihilate @anthonyfjoshua #WEARESPARTANS
MASSIVE THANKS TO DANIEL KINNERHAN FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
god bless pic.twitter.com/18FfVKfCax
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) June 10, 2020
It is expected that the unification battle would earn as much as £150million, taking into account the purse, pay-per-view purchases, gate receipts and sponsors.
British fans will be desperate for the historic event to take place on home soil… but Eddie Hearn admitted that could mean the fighters would have to accept 50 per cent less than they could get in Saudi Arabia.
Hearn secured a site fee of over £30m for AJ’s Diriyah rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019, and could expect to get much more for a 2021 battle with the Gypsy King.
Fury confirmed in June 2020 that he and Joshua had agreed a two-fight contract after much speculation.
He tweeted: “It’s official FURY VS JOSUAR AGREED FOR NEXT YEAR, I got to smash @bronzebomber first then I’ll annihilate @anthonyfjoshua #WEARESPARTANS”.
And, at the time, Hearn told Sky Sports: “We’ve been talking to [Fury’s management team] MTK, giving them the assurances from Joshua’s side that all the details on the structure of the deal is approved from our side.
“And it is from Fury’s side, as well.
“We’re in a good place. It’s fair to say that, in principle, both guys have agreed to that fight. Two fights.
“There’s lot to overcome in the meantime. We’re moving in the right direction.
“I’m confident that both guys have giving their blessing for the fight to go ahead.”
Fury’s last fight with Deontay Wilder was believed to have earned over £50m in US PPV sales alone.
And this era-defining bout would be expected to sell even more.
Standing in its way, however, is IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, who Joshua fights on Saturday in front of a reduced crowd at Wembley Arena.
Fury was due to fight Wilder in a trilogy bout before the end of the year but both that and a December homecoming have been scrapped.
But should an all-British heavyweight super clash go ahead, only fights featuring retired five-weight king Floyd Mayweather will have ever earned more.
The most lucrative earned an eye-watering £678m back in 2015, when the American finally faced Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
The only fight to ever come close to that figure was his subsequent ten-round victory over MMA star Conor McGregor, which pocketed £662.5m.
Mayweather’s bouts with Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez are the only other two in history that will have beaten that likely £150m AJ-Fury figure.
This will put it ahead of legendary fights such as Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson – and the latter’s 1997 rematch with Evander Holyfield.
