Tyson Fury suffered the first defeat of his professional career on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Oleksandr Usyk was crowned the undisputed heavyweight world champion. Usyk secured the victory via split decision, but both fighters are set for record-breaking paydays regardless of the outcome.
Promoter Bob Arum has previously suggested that Fury could earn in excess of £80 million for participating in the historic bout. However, according to analytics platform Stocklytics, Fury could lose a significant portion of his prize money due to UK tax and national insurance laws. If Fury were to earn £100 million from the fight, he would have to pay over £44 million in income tax and around £2 million in national insurance, leaving him with a total prize fund of just over £53 million.
A Stocklytics spokesman explained to The Mirror: “If you are a resident in the UK, you have to pay tax on overseas earnings in the same way, and that remains the same no matter how much someone might earn. Good tax advice is always important, and in this case, you can be sure the Fury camp will have looked at an agreement that would be the most beneficial.”
One potential way for Fury to reduce his tax liability is through charitable donations. The spokesman added, “You can offset some money by making a charitable donation, and there is a suggestion Tyson Fury will be making a £1 million gift to support Ukraine charities, which would reduce his liability a little.”
The aftermath of the bout saw Fury sparking controversy when he appeared to accuse the judges of siding with Usyk due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Speaking in the ring afterward, Fury said, “I believe I won that fight. I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them. And I believe it was – what can you do? – one of those decisions in boxing. We’ve both put on a good fight. Best we could do. And, you know, his country’s at war. So people are siding with a country at war. But make no mistake, I’ve won that fight in my opinion, and I’ll be back. We’ve got a rematch clause.”
Despite the defeat and the subsequent financial implications, Fury remains confident about his performance and his future in boxing. The rematch clause he mentioned suggests that fans may not have seen the last of this fierce rivalry, and Fury will have another opportunity to reclaim his place at the top.