SUMMARY
- According to Forbes, Francis Ngannou will earn double from his fight against Anthony Joshua than what he earned against Tyson Fury.
- Joshua is set to bag around $50 million without including PPV sales.
Francis Ngannou is set to bag another seven-figure earnings through a boxing bout, according to Forbes. Ngannou, who will face Anthony Joshua on March 8, 2024, will earn around $20 million for his fight without including PPV sales. If true, Ngannou would have doubled his salary from what he earned in his boxing bout against Tyson Fury.
Ngannou made his boxing debut and faced Fury in October 2023. The highly anticipated Heavyweight bout came after Ngannou’s chaotic contract negotiations with the UFC. Among other demands, UFC was unwilling to agree to Ngannou’s monetary and boxing wishes. The former UFC Heavyweight champion left the UFC and joined PFL. His PFL contract allowed him to box while being under contract.
Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua’s estimated purses, not including PPV 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UuzpxAQmMR
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) January 11, 2024
Ngannou stunned the world when he faced Fury as he knocked him down and dominated the first few rounds. However, the undefeated British boxer controversially won the bout via decision. Ngannou, on the other hand, announced himself on the boxing stage in style and earned almost $10 million.
Recently, Ngannou’s second boxing bout was announced. He is taking on another big name in the boxing world – Anthony Joshua. Their reported 10-round fight is set to occur in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to Forbes, Ngannou will bag $20 million, meanwhile, Joshua will take home $50 million without considering PPV sales. According to Sky Sports, a press conference will be held on January 15, 2024, to announce further details.
Francis Ngannou will return to MMA later this year after his fight against Anthony Joshua
As explained before, Ngannou is still under contract with MMA promotion PFL. It has been close to a year since he signed the contract but there have been no developments about him fighting in the promotion. PFL CEO Peter Murray, however, expects him to return to MMA after his boxing adventure against Joshua.
“Yeah, he’s got a big fight coming up now with AJ right on the heels of shocking the world and Tyson Fury, so we’re really proud and happy for Francis, but he will be returning to the cage later this year after the Joshua fight,” Murray said in an interview with John Morgan.
Spoke with @PFLMMA CEO Peter Murray on his plans in key year for promotion and his vision of “growing the PFL as an overall global powerhouse in the sport.”
Highlights from @PeteMurrayPFL below, as well as a full transcript of interview. Embedded clip has complete conversation:… pic.twitter.com/AcEBSd43pW
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) January 8, 2024
Murray revealed that a fight for Ngannou is in the works. Ngannou is also set to be chairman of PFL Africa, a project set for 2025. More announcements for PFL Africa are expected to come in March.
Moreover, Murray showed confidence that Ngannou has his eyes set on a return to MMA this year. No offer will lure him away from the commitment. Ngannou last fought an MMA bout in January 2022 against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. He won that fight via unanimous decision.