Kenya Sport

Anthony Joshua Took Massive Pay Cut to Keep Fury Fight in UK

The long-awaited clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is finally confirmed for December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, much to the delight of UK boxing fans. Initially, rumors suggested the fight might happen at Madison Square Garden in New York, but it will remain in Britain, the home country of both fighters.

For Joshua, this comes with a steep financial sacrifice. Reports say he gave up around £10 million ($13 million) to ensure the bout stayed in the UK rather than moving Stateside where the purse would have been significantly larger.

The Road to the Superfight

Joshua's rise began in April 2017 when he beat Wladimir Klitschko to secure the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. Meanwhile, Fury was absent from boxing, struggling with mental health issues. A fight deal was nearly struck for late 2020 after Fury captured the WBC title and Joshua regained his belts from Andy Ruiz Jr., but legal battles involving Deontay Wilder delayed matters.

Over time, the hype dimmed. Joshua lost consecutive fights to Oleksandr Usyk, dropping all his belts, before bouncing back with wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin. Fury narrowly won against Francis Ngannou amid controversy but then suffered back-to-back losses to Usyk. Joshua also took a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois during this period.

By the time Joshua knocked out Kristian Prenga in the second round and Fury defeated Mariusz Wach, negotiations progressed and the fight was set with a UK venue, pleasing local fans.

Big Money Left on the Table

Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that Joshua was firm about hosting the fight in the UK despite the financial hit. Hearn shared:

“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.’”

Beyond Joshua’s personal loss, Turki Alalshikh, speaking at the press conference, stated relocating from New York to Cardiff cost organizers roughly £53 million ($70 million).

Scheduling and Viewer Considerations

UK fans will appreciate the local venue, though the event timing remains tricky. Organizers hope for a start time after midnight UK time to attract American viewers, which is still preferable to the very early hours start that a US-based fight would have meant for UK audiences.

  • Fight Date: December 11, 2026
  • Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, UK
  • Joshua's Pay Cut: Approx. £10 million ($13 million)
  • Organizers' Loss Moving from US to UK: Approx. £53 million ($70 million)
  • Potential US Viewership Start Time: Post-midnight UK time

Related Articles