BOXING
How much money will Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk make for their fight in Saudi Arabia
Here’s how much money is at stake when Fury takes on Usyk in Saudi.
Tyson Fury will take on Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia (Saturday, May 18, at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.) where the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO world heavyweight championship belts will be on the line. As well as the belts, the title of undisputed world heavyweight title championship will be up for grabs, something that hasn’t happened since 1999 when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield.
The fight, known as the ‘Ring of Fire’, was originally supposed to take place back in February this year but was postponed after the ‘Gypsy King’ suffered a cut to his eye.
How much money will Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk make for their fight?
The money on offer stands somewhere between $100 million and $150 million for Tyson Fury. Yes, you read that right, and did not just take a hook to the temple. That sum of money is said to represent 70 percent of the total purse, meaning that Usyk would earn approximately $30 million - not too shabby either.
The reason Usyk’s percentage is so low is because when the agreement was struck, it was done so on the condition that Fury donates £1 million of his earnings to Ukraine.
However, these figures are indeed estimates and could end up being even more, if the viewing figures are sufficiently high. Promoter Bob Arum revealed if the ‘Gypsy King’ was offered only $100million, he wouldn’t be happy. “If you told Tyson Fury he’s set to make $100 million, he’d really get p****d off. Because he thinks – and I think he’s right – that he’s gonna make a lot more than that.” If either Fury or Usyk pull out, they will have to pay £8m to their opponent.
Fury vs Usyk fight card:
- Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: For the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles
- Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis; For the vacant IBF cruiserweight title
- Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace; For the Cordina's IBF super featherweight title
- Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel; Heavyweight
- Moses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencev; Heavyweight
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab; Lightweight
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar; Light heavyweight
- Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr; Light heavyweight
- David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz; Cruiserweight
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi; Featherweight
What are Tyson Fury’s and Oleksandr Usyk’s records?
Fury comes into the fight with a record of 34 wins, 24 by knockout, and no defeats (34-0-1, 24 KOs). He has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2020.
Fury - Usyk:
As for the Ukrainian, he is an undefeated Olympic gold medalist who has fought and won 21 matches (21-0, 14 KOs). He has also spent time fighting in Ukraine against Russia.
The 12-round clash between Fury and Usyk will take place at the 26,000 capacity Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, May 18, at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT. The Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk ring walks are scheduled for 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT, although these timings are subject to change depending on how the undercard action unfolds.