Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could be set to earn the biggest fight purse in the history of boxing if the pair can agree to a fight in Saudi Arabi. If the fight ends up in the Middle-East, both men could earn upward of £250 million each. There are plenty of positive signs that this heavyweight undisputed clash is going to happen!
Fury vs Usyk Could Generate ‘Biggest Purse In Boxing History’ If The Fight Is Made
Provided both Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury sign a contract to fight each other in Saudi Arabia, it could generate the ‘biggest purse in boxing history’.
The two undefeated heavyweights are said to be in talks for the first ever undisputed heavyweight clash in the four-belt era. Saudi Arabia is currently the front runner to stage the bout, and if that’s where the fight ends up both fighters could earn in excess of $250 million each.
The last person to be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis back in 1999 when he defeated Evander Holyfield for the first time. Since then, there has not been one single heavyweight who has held every single belt in the division simultaneously.
The fight is undoubtedly enormous. Both Fury and Usyk are the two best heavyweights in boxing right now, so a fight between the pair is certainly a mouth-watering prospect. ‘The Gypsy King’ would likely be the favorite with the best offshore betting sites. However, write off Usyk at your peril. The Ukrainian has shown he can beat the top heavyweight’s after defeating Anthony Joshua twice.
If this historic heavyweight unification is to take place in Saudi Arabia, it will likely become the most expensive fight in the history of boxing. Both fighters will reportedly negotiate their own separate deals rather than sharing a percentage of the entire fight purse.
Fury’s promoter stateside, Bob Arum, revealed in a recent interview with Sky Sports that he is optimistic that the fight will happen and that both Fury and Usyk could earn record-breaking money for the fight:
“I’m very optimistic the fight is going to happen.
“Both fighters have agreed to do the fight, the question is the site and we’re talking to the Middle-East because allegedly they’re going to come up with the biggest purse ever in boxing history. And if they do, that’s where the fight is going to go because money is money.
“If they don’t, both fighters will agree to do the fight this spring at Wembley… but the fight will happen in my opinion, certainly within the first four months of the year. Fighters want to do the best for themselves because a fighter’s career, no matter how great he is, is limited and they want to make as much money as possible.”
In terms of the biggest purse in boxing history, that tag belongs to the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao fight back in 2015. It is reported that their ‘Fight Of The Century’ is the most lucrative fight of all time with over $600 generated for the bout in terms of purses. Mayweather was the ‘A side’ and took over $350 million, with the Philippines man pocketing over $250 million himself.
Saudi Arabia have become a big player recently in boxing, twice prising Anthony Joshua over to the desert for world heavyweight title bouts. Joshua fought both of his rematches against Andy Ruiz Jr and Oleksandr Usyk respectively across the Middle-East. Of course, Usyk got his hand raised when there pair met in Saudi in August and will be hopeful of the same outcome against Fury is that is where the fight takes place.
It won’t be easy for Usyk, far from it. The WBA-Super, WBO and IBF World Heavyweight Champion is priced as the +150 underdog with the best sports betting apps. Meanwhile, the Englishman is the -300 betting favorite in the early betting markets with the best offshore gambling sites.
Bob Arum is confident the fight will get over the line and we will see the two heavyweight juggernauts collide in the first four months of 2023. Both fighter’s respective last fights were huge, but nowhere near the size of what this undisputed clash could be:
“Now, if it’s a unification match between Tyson and Usyk, it’ll be even more spectacular.”
Fingers crossed the fight is signed, sealed and delivered in the coming days and weeks. What a fight Fury vs Usyk is in prospect for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
