Anthony Joshua has downplayed the financial windfall from his blockbuster bout with Jake Paul, despite earning an eye-watering £68.5 million from the fight, a sum that translates to roughly N6 billion for every minute he spent in the ring.
The Nigerian-British heavyweight knocked out the YouTuber-turned-boxer in the sixth round of their widely anticipated clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, with the referee stepping in one minute and 31 seconds into the round.
While the victory was emphatic, Joshua admitted he was unimpressed with his own showing, insisting the contest should not have lasted as long as it did.
“I deserve it,” the former two-time unified heavyweight champion said on talkSPORT when asked about criticism over allowing Paul to survive six rounds.
“Because we are elite fighters, if I put myself in the shoes of a coach and my fighter did six rounds with Jake Paul, I’d get him back in the gym tomorrow and ask, ‘How are you letting this kid take you six rounds?’”
Still, Joshua gave credit to his opponent for his durability. “Credit to him, he did well. I told him what would happen – it just took six rounds to do it,” he added.
Beyond the in-ring action, the financial scale of the fight was staggering. Reports indicate that Joshua and Paul shared a total prize purse of about £137 million, with each fighter receiving approximately £68.5 million.
With the bout lasting a total of 989 seconds, Joshua effectively earned about £69,000 per second, or £4.1 million per minute. At prevailing exchange rates, that works out at roughly N6 billion for every minute of the fight.
However, the Watford-born boxer is unlikely to pocket the entire amount. As a UK resident fighting on American soil, Joshua is subject to tax obligations in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to betting platform AceOdds, around 37 per cent of his earnings -approximately £25.6 million – will go to the US Internal Revenue Service. Although Florida does not impose state income tax, Joshua is still liable for US federal tax at the highest rate.
He will also be required to settle the balance of his UK tax liability after crediting the tax paid in the US, with an estimated £5.5 million due to HM Revenue and Customs, as well as about £1.4 million in National Insurance contributions.
Altogether, Joshua’s total tax bill is put at roughly £32 million.
Even so, the heavyweight star insists money was not his primary motivation for accepting the crossover bout.
“It’s not even my biggest payday,” Joshua said. “It’s not about money.”