Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou: Net worths and big-money fights compared ahead of Saudi Arabian showdown

03/03/2024 14:36

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou are two of the biggest combat sports stars around and have raked in millions over their careers.

The duo are set to face off in Saudi Arabia for ten rounds of explosive action, which will see them both pocket a nice sum as well.

It will be the latest in a long line of big-money fights for this pair, and it’s a bout that is difficult to call because of Ngannou’s performance against Tyson Fury.

The UFC legend knocked Fury down in his first professional boxing match but lost via split decision and Joshua will have to be careful.

AJ is hoping that beating Ngannou will be the start of a wonderful year as he looks to become world champion again and add to his significant wealth.

Anthony Joshua: Net worth

As it stands, Joshua has earned £200million from boxing in his career.

However, that number is set to be swelled once he completes his deal with DAZN, which will see him rake in £100m until he decides to retire.

In 2020, the Brit was said to be worth £115m, but that has significantly increased over the years.

Joshua has admitted in the past that his only remaining motivation in boxing was money, but with the potential of world title fights in the near future, that rhetoric has changed.

The Brit also has many sponsorship deals with Under Armour, Hugo Boss, Land Rover and Jaguar, which are worth many millions.

Anthony Joshua: Most lucrative fights

This upcoming bout against Ngannou will automatically become one of Joshua’s biggest fights from a financial perspective.

The London-born Brit is set to rake in over £15m, but the actual figure is yet to be verified.

If you compare this with some of Joshua’s other huge fights, you will see it’s a significant bout.

But it isn’t as much as he earned from his two bouts with Oleksandr Usyk, as he walked away with £50m from the two title fights.

However, his biggest fight, from a financial view, came in 2019 when he fought Andy Ruiz in a rematch after losing initially and pocketed another £50m.

Joshua also earned £15m from his huge title fight against Wladimir Klitschko.

Francis Ngannou: Net worth

Unfortunately for Ngannou, UFC and MMA doesn’t pay as much as boxing, meaning he’s earned £4m from MMA.

This consists of 20 fights and a few title bouts in there as well.

However, from the clash against Fury, the Cameroonian walked away with £8m, taking his total earnings from combat sports close to £12m.

It is set to jump way above £25m after he’s fought Joshua, with Ngannou looking at taking £15m from this upcoming bout.

He has complained in the past about UFC blocking specific sponsorship deals, which he thinks cost him nearly £1m.

Ngannou signed a lucrative contract with the PFL [Professional Fighters League], which will make him the highest-paid athlete in MMA, plus, he’s allowed to compete in boxing, so his wealth is going to skyrocket over the next few years.

Francis Ngannou: Most lucrative fights

Unsurprisingly, the former UFC champion’s best fight financially was his clash with Fury, which instantly brought in millions for 30 minutes in the ring.

While he was in UFC, the pay was much lower and not one fight earned Ngannou £1m.

His best pay packet came at UFC 270 against Ciryl Gane, which brought in £506,000.

Previous to that, his title fight against Stipe Miocic earned him £459,000.

So this fight with Joshua will be Ngannou’s biggest bout financially in his career, earning him double what he got from Fury.