Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko expected to gross up to $53 million, smash British boxing records

The big heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko is projected to rake in record amounts of money.

With Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) predictably stopping the overmatched Eric Molina last Saturday, the super showdown between him and Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) is now officially set for Saturday, April 29th at London’s Wembley Stadium. At stake is Joshua’s IBF heavyweight title, as well as the WBA belt that was vacated by Tyson Fury.

On paper, this is a very intriguing matchup. Klitschko may have lost a dreadful decision to Fury last year, but he reigned atop the heavyweight division for 10 years, and even at 40 years old, is still far and away the best and most dangerous opponent Joshua has ever faced. As for Joshua, he’s a supremely talented boxer with big KO power, and has already established himself as a superstar in the UK market. At just 27 years old, he figures to be the one who could lead the charge for the new generation of heavyweight boxing.

Whether the fight itself will be exciting (obviously) remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that this is going to be a major event. Joshua vs. Klitschko is projected to be far and away the highest grossing fight in the history of British boxing. Both The Daily Star and The Mirror have pegged the gross revenue to be £42 million (approximately $53 million US), which would leave the previous record, the 2014 rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, in the dust at £22 million. A lower estimate from The Daily Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies has it at £30 million (Approx. $38 million US), with Joshua and Klitschko splitting £18 million in purse money. None of these fights is anywhere near Mayweather-Pacquiao, Lewis-Tyson, or several other high-profile boxing bouts staged in the US, but it’s still a pretty big number.

Here’s The Mirror’s breakdown of the figures that would lead to a £42 million fight:

  • 1.5 million pay-per-views at £16.95, generating £25.4m
  • £4m from German TV company RTL (Editor’s note: RTL is Klitschko’s television partner)
  • £1.5m from US TV (Editor’s note: The bout will air on either HBO or Showtime, but not on PPV in the US)
  • £8m in gate receipts from a record 90,000 crowd
  • £1m from sponsorship
  • £1m from rest of the world TV rights
  • £1m from merchandising

The UK PPV buyrate record is Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao at 1.15 million buys. Mayweather’s win over Ricky Hatton held the old record at 1.05 million buys (although some estimates had it as high as 1.2 million, so take that for what it’s worth), and is otherwise the only other boxing match to do over 1 million on a UK pay-per-view. Froch vs. Groves II pulled in 900,000 buys and an attendance figure of more than 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is hoping to get clearance from London mayor Sadiq Khan to have Wembley opened to its full 90,000 capacity.

Let’s hope nothing derails this fight, as April 29th is shaping up to be a truly special night of boxing.

The big heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko is projected to rake in record amounts of money.

With Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) predictably stopping the overmatched Eric Molina last Saturday, the super showdown between him and Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) is now officially set for Saturday, April 29th at London’s Wembley Stadium. At stake is Joshua’s IBF heavyweight title, as well as the WBA belt that was vacated by Tyson Fury.

On paper, this is a very intriguing matchup. Klitschko may have lost a dreadful decision to Fury last year, but he reigned atop the heavyweight division for 10 years, and even at 40 years old, is still far and away the best and most dangerous opponent Joshua has ever faced. As for Joshua, he’s a supremely talented boxer with big KO power, and has already established himself as a superstar in the UK market. At just 27 years old, he figures to be the one who could lead the charge for the new generation of heavyweight boxing.

Whether the fight itself will be exciting (obviously) remains to be seen, but there’s no denying that this is going to be a major event. Joshua vs. Klitschko is projected to be far and away the highest grossing fight in the history of British boxing. Both The Daily Star and The Mirror have pegged the gross revenue to be £42 million (approximately $53 million US), which would leave the previous record, the 2014 rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves, in the dust at £22 million. A lower estimate from The Daily Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies has it at £30 million (Approx. $38 million US), with Joshua and Klitschko splitting £18 million in purse money. None of these fights is anywhere near Mayweather-Pacquiao, Lewis-Tyson, or several other high-profile boxing bouts staged in the US, but it’s still a pretty big number.

Here’s The Mirror’s breakdown of the figures that would lead to a £42 million fight:

  • 1.5 million pay-per-views at £16.95, generating £25.4m
  • £4m from German TV company RTL (Editor’s note: RTL is Klitschko’s television partner)
  • £1.5m from US TV (Editor’s note: The bout will air on either HBO or Showtime, but not on PPV in the US)
  • £8m in gate receipts from a record 90,000 crowd
  • £1m from sponsorship
  • £1m from rest of the world TV rights
  • £1m from merchandising

The UK PPV buyrate record is Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao at 1.15 million buys. Mayweather’s win over Ricky Hatton held the old record at 1.05 million buys (although some estimates had it as high as 1.2 million, so take that for what it’s worth), and is otherwise the only other boxing match to do over 1 million on a UK pay-per-view. Froch vs. Groves II pulled in 900,000 buys and an attendance figure of more than 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is hoping to get clearance from London mayor Sadiq Khan to have Wembley opened to its full 90,000 capacity.

Let’s hope nothing derails this fight, as April 29th is shaping up to be a truly special night of boxing.