It has been announced that the world title fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will attract a massive $80m (£65.4m) sum paid by the middle eastern state to host the rematch.
The Daily Star have exclusively revealed the purse for the fight, with the sum surpassing the $60m paid to host the British fighter's rematch against Andy Ruiz in 2019. The pair will split the purse 50-50 but this will also be subject to undercard costs meaning that they will not earn 50% of the full £65.4 million.
The deal underlines the gulf state's desire to make the country a destination for big boxing fights, with Joshua's rematch against Andy Ruiz in 2019 taking place along with the WWE hosting their elimination chamber in the country earlier this year. However, this has drawn criticism with accusations of what is known as 'sportswashing' due to Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
