Oleksandr Usyk set to lose staggering amount of £100m fight purse immediately after brutal knockout of Daniel Dubois
Oleksandr Usyk could lose a staggering amount of his purse immediately after his knockout victory over Daniel Dubois on Saturday night.
Usyk, 38, came into the clash for the undisputed heavyweight title with an unblemished professional record, while Dubois, 27, had previously sustained a knockout loss against the Ukrainian in August 2023, as well as tasting defeat against Joe Joyce in 2020.
But the veteran's class shone through in round five when a left hand left the Brit unable to continue.
Of course, like with most high-profile bouts, fans have been wondering how much the pair will be paid for their efforts in the ring.
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Well, according to the Daily Express, both fighters will see their bank balances significantly increase come Sunday morning.
Although it has not been confirmed, estimates have been made which suggest that Usyk will take home around two-thirds of the purse with a £100m payday while Dubois will receive £50m – a career high for the Londoner.
The figures are a far cry from the purses received for the duo’s first bout in Poland back in 2023.
Two years ago, Usyk reportedly pocketed £4.4m while Dubois picked up less than half the amount.
And of the hefty purses received this time around, both men are set to lose a huge amount due to a little-known reason.
The Mirror reports that Dubois is set to lose around half of his purse due to tax and national insurance deductions. It is claimed that the Brit will have to pay around £23.6m in tax.
But that’s not all.
Earlier this week, former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch spoke to SPORTbible on behalf of casino.co.uk and revealed that fighters also lose a staggering amount in fees paid to boxing boards that sanction fights.
Froch said: "They take a percentage, and it's anything up to 3 or 4% from what I can remember when I was fighting.
"More often than not, depending on how much you're earning, promoters do deals with the boxing boards. It's all official and above board.
"If someone like Floyd Mayweather earns £200million for a fight, he's not going to pay a boxing board 3 or 4%, is he? It just gets silly at that point.
"The British Boxing Board of Control do a great job, looking after current and ex-fighters, so part of it goes to them.
"It is a small percentage, but it can add up to plenty. If you're fighting for numerous belts and paying 3 or 4% to all of the different boxing boards, you're suddenly paying a fair few quid just to fight for belts.
"Usually, the promoters will do the deals, but a small percentage can still add up to a fair few quid taken from the purse.”
So, based on Froch's words, Usyk may have to pay the British Boxing Board of Control between £3-4m while Dubois may have to cough up around £1.5-2m in fees.
Topics: Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk
Luke Davies