The prize money for Saturday’s (today) heavyweight title rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia has been revealed.
According to Evening Standard, Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk will each receive a guaranteed minimum of £33.2m ($40m) for their rematch.
Recall that the duo went head-to-head on Wednesday at the final press conference ahead of the rematch.
On noticing that Usyk had gotten bigger for the second fight, Joshua warned the Ukrainian that it won’t be enough and would only help him (Usyk) absorb more punishment.
“If you’re a puncher, punchers aren’t made, they’re born,” Joshua told Sky Sports News.
Meanwhile, further reports say the pay for the rematch could rise close to $50m for either Joshua or Usyk if pay-per-view television sales reach a level sufficient to justify adding a bonus for the winner.
Joshua will be attempting to reclaim the lost world heavyweight titles when he locks horns with Usyk once again in Saudi Arabia.
This is must-win territory for ‘AJ’, who paid dearly for a misguided approach during the first fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September as he slumped to a dismal second professional loss.
Meanwhile Evander Holyfield said Joshua must fight like Oleksandr Usyk is his ‘big brother’ in their highly anticipated rematch for the world title on Saturday.
Holyfield, the only four-time world heavyweight champion, has urged the Londoner to make the most of his natural size and power in the ring if he wants to reclaim his WBO, WBA and IBF belts.
“He has to fight like a big guy. He can’t sit there and tag with this guy, he’s got to hit him with big shots,” the 59-year-old told Sky Sports.
“If you got a little brother. If you try to keep up, he moves too much, you’ve got to grab him and put all that weight on him and let him feel that you’re the stronger one and this is a big guy fight and there isn’t no way he can beat you in a big guy fight.
“I know both of the guys are capable of winning, it’s just who does it that night when the pressure happens. The fact of the matter is how a person thinks. I knew what my thinking was going to be in there.
“I always said that every guy that got the best of me was a guy lighter than me with fast hands, I sat there watching. But that’s what big guys used to do when they were in front of me, I was so good they sat there watching and then the fight is over.
“It ain’t impossible (for AJ), all it takes is one shot with him. The point of the matter – is he going to be aggressive enough to go out and do it?”
Meanwhile, Joshua’s opponent Usyk has transitioned from cruiserweight to heavyweight, something Holyfield did on his way to becoming an undisputed world champion at both weights.
Speaking about transitioning, Holyfield said, “I wouldn’t say it’s easy, because you’ve got to take away everything necessary to be a fighter.
“The art of the game is boxing and the boxer is going to have the advantage all the time unless he gets knocked out.
“That’s what boxers do – box. And boxing is ‘you’re going to hit that guy more times than that guy is going to hit you’, and if it goes the distance you’re going to out-point them.
“But if you’re a big puncher, what can a big puncher do? I’m going to get you out of there.”
