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.
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At Wednesday's press conference, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn spoke about the fight and what he expected from the main event on August 20: "This is all very nice, this all very friendly but we're only here to win - honestly, that's all that matters."
"Last September was very painful when the great Oleksandr Usyk dethroned Anthony Joshua and we're here to be pleasant but we're here to see this man (Joshua) regain those wonderful belts."
Anthony Joshua said: "The hunger is still there - blips happen, things happen in life but resilience, mental toughness and consistency will always prevail but we're still on the road to undisputed."
