Anthony Joshua pocketed the bigger purse in fight with Daniel Dubois
Anthony Joshua reportedly earned £6million for his Wembley Stadium mega-fight with IBF World heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who received far less at £3.5million.
Joshua challenged the world champion unsuccessfully on September 21, stopped in round five after multiple knockdowns.
But, the loser’s earnings could rise up to £25million after PPV sales, whilst the champion’s could hit £10million.
It seems unfair that the defending champion would be on the lower end of the money scale, especially after he performed so much better to emerge victorious in front of 96,000 fans.
Dubois was in control of the fight right from the first bell, confidently racing across to claim the centre of the ring and had AJ on the backfoot from thereon.
Former two-time world champion Joshua was not on form on the night, his left hand dropped low, his reactions and timings way off, resulting in being dropped in the very first round from an overhand right.
Disappointed, he admitted what went wrong after the fight, “The first round? Overhand right, chin in the air, no defence, kaboom!”
Joshua’s chin was unusually high, his head rocked back by Dubois’ ramrod jab all fight long, plus he was so open and easily hit, his defence was non-existent.
“And it was a bit of a downhill slope from there,” he continued. “Tried to change the tides but it just weren’t my night tonight.
“I caught him with a good shot, I think, and I tried to go for it, and then I got caught with an overhand right when I was throwing the uppercut.”
AJ landed a trademark right cross on the champion and staggered him slightly, enough to force him to back off for the first time in the fight, but when AJ went in for the kill, he was so predictable and took so long shaping up to throw a fight-ending punch that DDD just patiently waited to throw his shot at the perfect time to stop the fight in the fifth round.
Joshua aims to activate the rematch clause in the contract, however there seems to be some confusion, as Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren has claimed there was only a contract clause for Dubois to trigger a rematch and not AJ.