Netflix Paid £10m to Make Fight Happen

Anthony Joshua will face off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami on the 19th of December, and whether you’re a fan of the event or not, it has people talking and is sure to break all sorts of records when fans tune in to Netflix.

Many have questioned why Joshua, the two-time heavyweight champion, would take such a novelty fight against a man whose boxing resume is filled with MMA fighters, influencers, and even a then-58-year-old Mike Tyson. Well, it may have something to do with the staggering purse that he will receive.

Having signed a ‘long-term global partnership’ with streaming service DAZN in June 2022, reportedly worth $100m a year, a deal which saw the Brit become an ambassador for the company and included a clause that stated he could not compete on other channels, with all of his bouts being exclusively shown on DAZN, it seems that Netflix have had to pay out even more in order to give this fight the green light.

Netflix and DAZN have previous in situations like this. In July, the two streaming giants had to strike a deal to allow Katie Taylor’s trilogy fight with Amanda Serrano to be shown on Netflix. However, a fee of £10m is expected to change hands in order to get Paul’s bout with Joshua on Netflix, dwarfing that which they paid for Taylor’s victory over her Puerto Rican rival.

On top of the fee that Netflix will have to pay DAZN for the broadcasting rights, both fighters will take home an even share of £140m. In a bout expected to be one of the most commercially successful of all time, it may turn out to be money well spent as Netflix continues to delve deeper into the world of sport.

The fight is expected to draw 20,000 spectators at the Kaseya Center in Miami, with ticket prices expected to reach upwards of £20,000, and Most Valuable Promotions — Jake Paul’s promotion company — are looking to auction off luxurious packages which could fetch £750,000.

The event has been the talk of the boxing world, with many people intrigued if not excited by the prospect of the Olympic gold medallist facing a smaller, relatively untested opponent. We are still awaiting news of the rest of the fight card, but it seems likely that the bouts scheduled for Paul’s cancelled fight with Gervonta Davis will be pushed onto the new event.

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Likely Undercard

Alycia Baumgarder’s super featherweight bout against Leila Beaudoin is still expected to be the chief support, while world champions Gary Antuanne Russell and Ellie Scotney are also due to feature.

After Paul’s bout with Davis fell through, his team did look for a replacement to save the event, but to no avail. Nakisa Bidarian, the MPV CEO, recently revealed that pound-for-pound boxing king Terence Crawford also accepted the chance to fight the YouTuber, but they ultimately opted for Joshua as they saw him as a more difficult challenge.