Joshua To Pay $66m Tax After Earning $140m For Defeating Paul

Anthony Joshua is set to part with the sum of $66m of his record $140m fight earnings to tax authorities in the United States and United Kingdom.

The British boxer knocked Paul down and out in the sixth round of their bout at the Kaseya Center on Friday night.

Joshua and Paul reportedly shared a prize pot of around £137 million, with each fighter earning approximately £68.5 million from the Netflix-broadcast bout.

Referee Christopher Young stopped the contest at 1:31 of the sixth round, after the pair had spent a combined 989 seconds in the ring. That figure equates to roughly £69,000 per second or £4.1 million per minute for Joshua.

However, the Watford-born former two-time unified heavyweight champion will not take home the full amount. As a UK resident fighting in the United States, Joshua is liable for tax in both countries.

According to AceOdds, about 37 per cent of his purse — roughly £25.6 million — will be paid to the Internal Revenue Service. Although Florida has no state income tax, the bout took place on US soil, making Joshua subject to federal income tax at the highest rate.

Once Joshua returns home to the United Kingdom, he will also be taxed on his global income.

Reports indicate he will owe an additional $11.3m to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, plus another $2.8m in National Insurance contributions.

He must also settle the balance of his UK tax obligations, owing an estimated £5.5 million to HMRC, along with around £1.4 million in National Insurance contributions. In total, Joshua’s tax bill is expected to be in the region of £32 million.

Despite the eye-watering figures, Joshua insists money was not his primary motivation for accepting the fight.

He said: “It’s not even my biggest payday; it’s not about money. For me, it was more about the opportunity. I had to showcase my skills to the world.”

Paul, meanwhile, only has to deal with U.S. federal taxes. With no U.K. obligations and no Florida state tax, the YouTuber-turned-boxer will reportedly keep more of his purse than Joshua, despite losing the fight and suffering a broken jaw in two places.