ANTHONY JOSHUA is set to pocket the biggest ever pay day for a British boxer when he takes on Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
The Brit was on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when he was knocked out by heavy underdog Ruiz Jr in New York back in June.
But the 30-year-old's reward for that chastening defeat is the pay day of a life time.
Joshua is set to pocket £66MILLION for the much anticipated rematch.
The only British or Irish fighter to have ever made a comparable number from a boxing match was Conor McGregor back in 2017 - when he fought Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
The Irishman also pocketed around £66million.
Despite being WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion of the world, Ruiz Jr will pocket just £10million from the hotly-anticipated rematch.
And even this figure had to be negotiated up from £7million - with the Mexican-American using the US' warning to its citizens over visiting Saudi Arabia as a bargaining tool.
Joshua was keen to play down the size of his earnings, saying: "When you look at it, out of every hundred quid, a lot goes to the taxman and a lot to the trainers and the team.
"Before you know it, what you're left with in reality is about 30 to 40 per cent.
"Honestly, one of my main objectives in this sport was not to be owned. Not to be taken advantage of. It's not easy in this sport. You put so much into it but before you know it your career is over.
"The medals and the titles are important to me, but one day someone else will come up to take over the position they give you.
"Today you have people opening doors for you and bringing coffees. But that isn't meant for you personally, it's for the position you hold. Don't get too used to having the belts around your waist."
LATEST BOXING NEWS
Many feel that Joshua needs to win on Saturday night to get his career back on track.
And if he does, the hulking Brit will likely get a unification bout with Deontay Wilder.
Which would almost certainly be even more lucrative than Saturday night's clash.