Anthony Joshua to earn stunning career-high payday for Francis Ngannou fight as prize money revealed

Anthony Joshua is set to earn a career-high purse for his monstrous fight against Francis Ngannou.

Joshua, who beat Otto Wallin in his last appearance, returns to action on FRIDAY as he looks to improve his winning streak.

Joshua meets Ngannou, who gave Tyson Fury all sorts of trouble in their October bout.

And 'AJ' is in line to pocket a massive payday for his Saudi Arabia showdown against the former UFC heavyweight champion.

According to Sport Business Journal, the British star will bank around £31 million for his fight against Ngannou.

As for Ngannou, he's set to pocket a cool £16 million.

Joshua earned a reported £10 million for his fight against Wallin last December.

Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh, who is the mastermind behind making these big fights in boxing, has completely transformed the dynamic of the sport, offering huge purses for fights to take place in the Middle East.

It's back-to-back fights in Saudi Arabia for Joshua, who will look to beat Ngannou in view to landing an undisputed showdown against the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.

He's looking to make a statement against 'The Predator' as he has his eyes on the undisputed status.

"I believe I can knock him out. Definitely," he said. "I would love to knock him out and make a statement."

Anthony Joshua at a media event ahead of Friday's fight against Francis Ngannou. Image: Getty

The 34-year-old added: "Physically I feel strong, feeling good. Strong enough to get the job done and mentally I'm in a place where I'm ready for war. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

"Mentally I don't worry so much about my opponent and look at what my opponent can bring to me and think, 'how can I overcome these challenges they present?'

"I work really hard to up my game and look forward to showing everything I've worked on."