More dosh for Josh bosh
DOLLARS FIT BILL FOR AJ
ANTHONY JOSHUA is about to learn where cash really is king, as he prepares to strike it rich in America.
The WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion is set to face American Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It will be a 300lb opponent for his debut in the States, but the cheques are going to be huge too.
Joshua will allegedly pocket a career-high £25m for the June date as his earning power continues to soar.
If the pay is that big for a fight with a relative unknown, then the figures are about to go through the roof for the huge ones.
AJ has hardly been earning peanuts in the UK with his last four fights bringing in around £65m, but one of Britain’s highest-paid sportsmen is going to start earning a lot more.
And that might mean UK fans will get to see him up close and personal a lot less. In fact, the only fight that might bring him back to these shores is a future clash with Tyson Fury.
But, aside from that one, the huge money is Stateside now for the Brit who has had all his 22 professional fights so far in the UK.
Lennox Lewis only had one of his last 13 fights in England as the dollars were too good to turn down.
Even a future showdown with WBC king Deontay Wilder makes more sense in America now his stock has risen after December’s dramatic draw with Fury.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn admitted his man is playing catch up on those two in regards to profile across the Atlantic.
But if he becomes a heavyweight star in the country where bigger is seemingly better for everything, then he could be king of the cash as well as the ring.
DAZN – the new streaming service which has already made Saul Alvarez the richest active fighter on the planet – is desperate for Joshua to fight mostly on prime time in the US to bump up their subscribers.
They paid £280m to Alvarez for an 11-fight deal and Joshua can expect similar figures to be thrown at him.
And they will push up the offers to Joshua to keep him out of the grasps of the pay-per-view US TV networks and that’s only good news for the 2012 Olympic gold medallist.
Joshua has championed the cause of bringing big fights to Britain.
But that admirable stance will now be tested.