Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2: what is the purse and how much will they earn for heavyweight fight

Boxing fans are in for a treat this evening.

Anthony Joshua will face Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in Jeddah in their long anticipated rematch.

The British boxer is attempting to reclaim the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.

Joshua lost to Uysk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.

However no matter who wins in the ring, a lot of money will be claimed by the boxers.

Here is all you need to know:

When is the fight?

It will take place today (20 August) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

What is the purse for Joshua vs Uysk?

The Mirror reports that the boxers will pocket over £30m each for the fight.

Saudi Arabian officials have parted with £64.4m to stage the heavyweight bout in Jeddah.

Joshua and Uysk will split the money 50-50.

What happened in the previous fight?

Joshua lost his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in the first fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021.

His performance was described as being passive in the bout.

That decisive points decision registered his second professional defeat, having been stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019, and another setback would place him on the periphery as Usyk and Tyson Fury battle it out as the division’s elite.

Even if he uses more effective tactics, few are backing Joshua to prevail at the 10,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City Arena and the 32-year-old has already suggested he could walk away from the sport if he falls to Usyk once more.

Joshua’s gameplan of outboxing southpaw technician Usyk in their first meeting was ill-conceived and, with new trainer Robert Garcia now in his corner at the expense of Robert McCracken, a more aggressive approach is expected.

What has Joshua said?

“Everything is at stake. It’s a big fight, it’s a big night,” Joshua told the PA news agency.

“The heavyweight championship of the world is on the line, so it’s big. It’s a must win because I don’t want to walk away. Let’s get the job done.

“Being underdog is fun because the pressure has challenged me a lot. When I was winning, boxing’s great and life is good.

“Now being in this position makes you realise what this game is about. Now I’m fighting under the pressure of challenging myself personally because I want to do well.

“A lot of people get knocked down when it doesn’t go well and then the challenge is to bring themselves back up to where they were.

“I always stay in good spirits, so the challenge for me has actually been to elevate my spirits past where I was, that’s where the true struggle is.”

Why has the fight been delayed?

The rematch in Jeddah was delayed due to Russia’s invasion of Usyk’s native Ukraine.

Usyk aiming to lift spirits in his homeland

Usyk has kept any tactical changes a closely guarded secret, but Joshua’s fellow London 2012 gold medallist has been clear that his purpose is to lift the spirits of a nation under siege from Russia.

The 35-year-old was a machine gun-carrying defence volunteer in Kiev until he was ordered by the military hierarchy to serve as an emblem of Ukrainian resistance overseas and he will be supported back home by a public watching on free-to-air TV.

And, while bookmakers believe they will be celebrating on Saturday night, his promoter Alexander Krassyuk insists Usyk faces a tough night.

“It’s not an easy challenge. People say Anthony Joshua is down, that Anthony Joshua offers nothing any more. No, I totally disagree with people,” Krassyuk said.

“Anthony Joshua is one of the biggest threats at heavyweight at the moment and I’m pretty sure he will try to use his chance on Saturday night.”