Anthony Joshua took a reported $13 million pay cut to ensure his long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury goes ahead, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.
Hearn says Joshua accepted a reduced purse to allow the bout to take place in the United Kingdom. The former world heavyweight champion will face long-time rival Fury at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on December 11 in a fight dubbed the “Battle of Britain.”
Speaking at the first press conference featuring both fighters, Hearn said staging the bout in the UK came at a financial cost to Joshua.
“To keep it in the UK he’s got to turn down eight figures plus.”
“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… we’ll do it in the UK” Hearn said.
