Nigerian-British boxer, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury are set to earn the biggest purses of their boxing careers when they finally meet in Cardiff on December 11, according to promoter Frank Warren.
The long-awaited all-British heavyweight clash will take place at the 70,000-capacity Principality Stadium, after years of failed negotiations and disagreements over the venue and promotional arrangements.
The fight is being backed by Netflix and Saudi financier Turki Alalshikh, with Warren saying the scale of the financial package helped prevent another collapse in negotiations.
“We nearly did it a couple of times, and it just did not happen for various reasons,” Warren told SunSport.
“But when you look at the money these fellows are getting paid, it is phenomenal money. If they did not do it, they would be crazy. It is huge, huge purses. Massive money.”
Warren said he expected the bout to produce what could be the biggest earnings ever recorded by British fighters.
“The highest of their careers, I should think the highest of any British fighter’s career, ever,” he said.
The fight had faced fresh uncertainty this year after Netflix reportedly pushed for it to be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York, with UFC president Dana White involved.
However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, insisted on a contractual provision requiring the contest to take place in the United Kingdom without White’s involvement. Warren subsequently helped secure the Cardiff venue.
The organisers are also considering a late ring-walk time, reportedly between 1am and 2am UK time, to allow the bout to attract a prime-time audience in the United States.
Defending the potential late start, Warren said the international audience and the financial investment behind the contest had to be considered.
“We are a global village now, so you have got to try and hopefully accommodate everybody,” he said.
“The only reason this fight is on is because somebody has put up the money for it, and the person who has put the money up for it deserves to get something from it.”
Warren, who has promoted Fury for years, also backed his fighter to beat Joshua, predicting a stoppage.
“I think he will knock him out. Styles make fights,” he said, arguing that Fury had aged better than Joshua and possessed the strength and durability to withstand heavy punches.
The Fury-Joshua showdown will headline a busy run of major boxing events before the end of the year, including Ben Whittaker’s fight against Conor Wallace on October 3, Daniel Dubois’ rematch with Fabio Wardley on October 17 and Canelo Alvarez’s bout with Christian Mbili on October 31.
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