UCFB Future Sport 2018

BOXING
Respect:
Anthony Joshua
and Wladimir
Klitschko broke
records and
showed each
other respect in
and out of the ring
Joshua and Klitschko both appeared in the Forbes list of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes in 2017. Each fighter
was estimated to have earned $44m for the year through prize money and endorsements. In a list dominated
by NFL, NBA and MLB stars, the only other boxer on the list was middleweight Canelo Alvarez, whose estimated
earnings are $57m. Interestingly, UFC golden boy Conor McGregor’s earnings were estimated to be $68m, even
before his mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather was announced.
So nice guys finish last financially?
David Haye – let’s call him the bad guy in this context,
but don’t forget he donated almost £100,000 to coma
victim Nick Blackwell – has probably exceeded what
would be expected financially from someone with
a similar boxing CV. A mixture of his outgoing and
occasionally menacing personality, marketing brain,
ability to play on the public’s emotions and undoubted
business savviness has got him there.
Many ‘nicer’ world champions don’t earn nearly what
he has to date. Joe Calzaghe, the slightly shy and softlyspoken
but highly accomplished British boxing great
who finished his career undefeated at 42-0, proved
hugely frustrating for his globally recognised promoter,
Frank Warren, to sell. The Welsh warrior arguably secured
less than a handful of top-notch fights, all in the final
years of his career, often because the big names of
boxing did not see him as a good ‘payday’.
But where does Anthony Joshua fit in? The 27-year-old
has certainly captured the British public’s admiration and
is possibly en route to global stardom after only 19 fights
and less than five years as a pro. He and his team have
carefully portrayed him – and he is widely acknowledged
– as being a good guy, living a relatively humble life with
his mother after overcoming a few indiscretions in his
youth. He recently gave his first boxing coach a car as a
thank you present. Being marketed as a nice guy has not
stunted his income so far. He made at least £15m from
his Wembley mega fight with Klitschko, and he has 13
sponsors bringing in further millions.
It remains to be seen whether Joshua secures the
world’s attention over his career, but all signs are positive
“IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN
WHETHER JOSHUA
SECURES THE WORLD’S
ATTENTION OVER HIS
CAREER”
with both Showtime and HBO showing his fight against
Klitschko in the US, quite a rare feat.
The bottom line is that there are options for a
boxer when approaching how they wish to promote
and portray themselves in their career, depending
on their priorities. Whilst there are many nuances
to a person’s personality, a fundamental fact is that
generating headlines is an integral component of
your job description if you wish to succeed financially
in this sport. Success in the ring will lead to some of
that, and having an understanding of marketing and
media yourself or through a talented team around
you will do the rest.
Although not the richest or most famous man in boxing,
I am sure that when Wladimir Klitschko decides to hang
up his gloves, he will be able to sleep easily knowing
that he did everything in his own dignified way. And let’s
be frank, he is not a poor man – ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ has
featured on Forbes’ 100 Highest Paid Athletes list and has
exciting career options ahead of him upon retirement.
Tomorrow’s talent, today | 39