Do we over estimate how much boxers earn as fans ????

[damianhucker1]

Just wondering if people think the same as i do that in general people believe fighters earn far better than they actually do .


To illustrate this im going to write 10 fictional fighters records and their weight divisions etc and let people say how much they believe that fighter is likely to earn/expect in a fight .

1) Debutant Welterweight with no amateur pedigree

2) debutant Super middleweight with Amateur pedigree such as Olympic or world championships medalist .

3) Heavyweight with a record of 5-0 all by knockout .

4) Bantamweight with 10 wins and 7 losses

5) Light Middleweight with 6 wins and 2 losses (only 1 knockout)

6) Cruiserweight whos won 6 from 6 but with no stoppages

7 ) Lightweight Former ABA Champion currently unbeaten in 18 fights , no titles in pros yet .

8) Middleweight Journeyman won 5 lost 40

9) Light Heavyweight Prospect Unbeaten in 20 , Current British champion .

10) Featherweight Superstar on Lb 4 Lb top 10 , won 32 (20 ko's) lost 1 .

Ill again clarify these are all completely fictitous and not based on any real boxers .

Im not saying i believe i know there values either , but for what its worth ill say below what my guesses would be , assuming they are just standard at selling tickets

1) £600

2) £2,000

3) £1,000

4) £800

5) £800

6) £1,000

7) £5,000

8) £1,000

9) £10,000

10) £ 100,000

If you think im wrong (which i likely am ) then say why and what you belive rather than just hammering me .

[twenty six]

Is figure 10 one million, or one hundred thousand ?

[rhino222]

lots of the purses are dependent on tv coverage of shows etc, also remember that a fighter with a good amateur pedigree (aba champ/olympian) might well get a decent signing on fee and sponsorship deal done etc.

your average journeyman will command 500-2000 per fight dependent on opponent/rounds/tv coverage/notice of fight...ie..if he is a 'show saver' he can command bigger purse.

british title fights command about 16k

[canonball1234]

number 1 i feel sorry for take away is 600 medical fee his gym fee etc. boxings has no money init for people like number one but with hard work dedication should all pay off

[damianhucker1]

Is figure 10 one million, or one hundred thousand ?

100k

[damianhucker1]

lots of the purses are dependent on tv coverage of shows etc, also remember that a fighter with a good amateur pedigree (aba champ/olympian) might well get a decent signing on fee and sponsorship deal done etc.

your average journeyman will command 500-2000 per fight dependent on opponent/rounds/tv coverage/notice of fight...ie..if he is a 'show saver' he can command bigger purse.

british title fights command about 16k

I thought similar too til recently , in the main though yes , and for the fictional fighter above (number 9 ) yours is probably closer than my own guess , thought it was a bit low after i wrote it .

[damianhucker1]

Only reason im really mentioning this is that when pros come into the gym for sparring etc the lads are often quite surprised by how little they get , it is a business after all and it wouldnt be sustainable if everyone was getting paid a good whack , was just highlighted a bit last week when a lad told me and one of my unlicensed fighters he got £690 at the end of it for a fight on a big card , my fighter couldnt believe he earns more on an unlicensed show from ticket sales than this unbeaten pro got for his last fight .

To clarify its not another thread attempting to show unlicensed in a better light etc , its just literally to point out that pro's arent getting as much as most think , and for a dangerous sport , just makes you think a bit thats all .

[banjo]

Yes, people overestimate how sportsmen/women in general earn.

[levi billups]

Good topic. I've always been disappointed by the lack of transparency in the figures around boxers' purses. We know know much footballers make, prize money in tennis & golf tournaments etc, but the lack of clarity around boxing only serves to fuel suspicion that people might be getting ripped off.

For what it's worth I thought all the guesses were good ones, though I suspect (2) might be a little higher even if being a medallist doesn't carry the same worth as it did a few years ago. According to Wikipedia Ray Leonard got $40000 for his pro debut back in the 70s! How times have changed.....

[Wake up call]

John Murray once said to me "people come up to me and think I'm a millionaire. What they don't realise is I'm probably more skint than they are."

[Newport Daz]

1) Debutant Welterweight with no amateur pedigree - £500

2) debutant Super middleweight with Amateur pedigree such as Olympic or world championships medalist - £5,000

3) Heavyweight with a record of 5-0 all by knockout - £3,000

4) Bantamweight with 10 wins and 7 losses - £1,500

5) Light Middleweight with 6 wins and 2 losses (only 1 knockout) - £2,000

6) Cruiserweight whos won 6 from 6 but with no stoppages - £2,000

7 ) Lightweight Former ABA Champion currently unbeaten in 18 fights , no titles in pros yet - £6,500

8) Middleweight Journeyman won 5 lost 40 - £1,500

9) Light Heavyweight Prospect Unbeaten in 20 , Current British champion - £15,000

10) Featherweight Superstar on Lb 4 Lb top 10 , won 32 (20 ko's) lost 1 - £750,000

[Quixall]

Only reason im really mentioning this is that when pros come into the gym for sparring etc the lads are often quite surprised by how little they get , it is a business after all and it wouldnt be sustainable if everyone was getting paid a good whack , was just highlighted a bit last week when a lad told me and one of my unlicensed fighters he got £690 at the end of it for a fight on a big card , my fighter couldnt believe he earns more on an unlicensed show from ticket sales than this unbeaten pro got for his last fight .

To clarify its not another thread attempting to show unlicensed in a better light etc , its just literally to point out that pro's arent getting as much as most think , and for a dangerous sport , just makes you think a bit thats all .

It's perhaps why there aren't as many fighters out there or as many shows. It's not much money when you consider how dangerous the sport can be. You really have to love it to get in the ring for what is peanuts at the end of the day.

[dalcumly]

As a broad outline I'd guess that for non televised shows most boxers can estimate they will receive around £150 per round plus expenses . Therefore 4 x 3's get about £600 . 8 x 3's roughly £1200 etc .

[SteveDow]

Interesting thread. Boxing is a seriously tough game for pro's that are not at the top. After you take out all of the deductions from the above amounts (tax, NI, trainers fees, transport to and from fights, cut man, promotors fee etc) then I'm guessing some of these guys barely get anything.

[rhino222]

let us not forget that boxers can augment their purse with a percentage of ticket sales, i still find this practice weird, which other sports do the competitors sell their own tickets to build up the crowd, can you imagine footballers doing it?

its time for boxing to get into the 21st century, and let those who are employed to sell the show to do so.

ie the promoter.....the clue is in his title!!

[Crazyboy]

let us not forget that boxers can augment their purse with a percentage of ticket sales, i still find this practice weird, which other sports do the competitors sell their own tickets to build up the crowd, can you imagine footballers doing it?

its time for boxing to get into the 21st century, and let those who are employed to sell the show to do so.

ie the promoter.....the clue is in his title!!

This x 100

I think it was Chris Eubank who used to go on about how lucky he was that he made money from Boxing...i think he said about 95% of boxers don't earn what their hardwork deserves. Its such a shame

[Bard of Boxrec]

What's the minimum corner requirement for a fighter starting out to cut costs? IE, can he have a manager/trainer who is also a cut man? One guy in the corner?

As an aside to this, why do you frequently see journeymen with bloated corners?

[damianhucker1]

let us not forget that boxers can augment their purse with a percentage of ticket sales, i still find this practice weird, which other sports do the competitors sell their own tickets to build up the crowd, can you imagine footballers doing it?

its time for boxing to get into the 21st century, and let those who are employed to sell the show to do so.

ie the promoter.....the clue is in his title!!

Not the first time youve raised this , i get what your saying but if people arent familly or friends with most boxers then they would get no support , the number of boxers would dwindle , as would the shows , the number of spectators etc , it would effectively kill small hall promotors , and many of the bigger ones too .

Ticket selling is a necesary evil in the sport and not just for boxing but any combat sport , id imagine ufc might be an exception to this but thats only due to them holding a brand and having a specific set of fighters so in effect the tickets would work as they would in wwe if that makes sense .

[Crazyboy]

let us not forget that boxers can augment their purse with a percentage of ticket sales, i still find this practice weird, which other sports do the competitors sell their own tickets to build up the crowd, can you imagine footballers doing it?

its time for boxing to get into the 21st century, and let those who are employed to sell the show to do so.

ie the promoter.....the clue is in his title!!

Not the first time youve raised this , i get what your saying but if people arent familly or friends with most boxers then they would get no support , the number of boxers would dwindle , as would the shows , the number of spectators etc , it would effectively kill small hall promotors , and many of the bigger ones too .

Ticket selling is a necesary evil in the sport and not just for boxing but any combat sport , id imagine ufc might be an exception to this but thats only due to them holding a brand and having a specific set of fighters so in effect the tickets would work as they would in wwe if that makes sense .

Hi Damian, don't think we have spoken before,

Can i just ask how you go about promoting your own shows? Is it a case of flyers and putting posters up everywhere and doing stuff online etc or do you do it other ways? Thats not a pisstake by the way i genuinely don't know how the 'small hall' promoters do it.
I'm interested to find out just how much 'promoting' you do from your perspective.

[Champ1982]

John Murray once said to me "people come up to me and think I'm a millionaire. What they don't realise is I'm probably more skint than they are."

Classic here, ppl seem to think this alot. Your seen in the paper, n they think we are up there with the pro footballers. Its the worst paid job around. There is only a small % that make a living from this sport. Most ov the gd journeymen make better money in a year, than fighters trying to get to get to championship level. The sports a joke when it comes to how much, we as fighters earn.

[Londonirish]

John Murray once said to me "people come up to me and think I'm a millionaire. What they don't realise is I'm probably more skint than they are."

Classic here, ppl seem to think this alot. Your seen in the paper, n they think we are up there with the pro footballers. Its the worst paid job around. There is only a small % that make a living from this sport. Most ov the gd journeymen make better money in a year, than fighters trying to get to get to championship level. The sports a joke when it comes to how much, we as fighters earn.

Your spot on........ For some it becomes an expensive hobby....

[damianhucker1]

let us not forget that boxers can augment their purse with a percentage of ticket sales, i still find this practice weird, which other sports do the competitors sell their own tickets to build up the crowd, can you imagine footballers doing it?

its time for boxing to get into the 21st century, and let those who are employed to sell the show to do so.

ie the promoter.....the clue is in his title!!

Not the first time youve raised this , i get what your saying but if people arent familly or friends with most boxers then they would get no support , the number of boxers would dwindle , as would the shows , the number of spectators etc , it would effectively kill small hall promotors , and many of the bigger ones too .

Ticket selling is a necesary evil in the sport and not just for boxing but any combat sport , id imagine ufc might be an exception to this but thats only due to them holding a brand and having a specific set of fighters so in effect the tickets would work as they would in wwe if that makes sense .

Hi Damian, don't think we have spoken before,

Can i just ask how you go about promoting your own shows? Is it a case of flyers and putting posters up everywhere and doing stuff online etc or do you do it other ways? Thats not a pisstake by the way i genuinely don't know how the 'small hall' promoters do it.
I'm interested to find out just how much 'promoting' you do from your perspective.

My shows are unlicensed mate , not got my pro license just yet .

I do put flyers around etc , posters in all the local boozers and takaways , and utilise facebook and twitter

But i do try to promote specific fighters in Local Free Newspapers that go through every door and in the Nottingham Post a week or so before a show , at current im a bit more reluctant to promote names too much as im going pro and dont want other promotors sniffing around the lads i want to turn pro , ive had a lad do a public pad work out at his local shoppimg center in his small town as he wasnt selling tickets and yet is someone im going to be turning pro so just trying to get him some local support , means both him and myself can earn a bit better , got him a good fight for next show that will hopefully show his ability against an ex pro .

[Wake up call]

I know a small hall promoter (no names) who pays his lads the following.

Four rounds - £800

Six rounds - £1500

Masters or International Masters 10 rounder - £3000.

However, if they sell over a certain amount of tickets the lads get a percentage on top.


I know a lad who boxed for an English title for just £1500 on a televised show, but he took it for the opportunity more than the money.

I also know a British champion who got between 15k and 26k for his title fights, but the higher amount only came because a rival promoter lodged a big purse bid. In the same weight division, the champion a few years before him once got around 36k for a defence but that was on a big arena show against a big name prospect.

[Crazyboy]

Not the first time youve raised this , i get what your saying but if people arent familly or friends with most boxers then they would get no support , the number of boxers would dwindle , as would the shows , the number of spectators etc , it would effectively kill small hall promotors , and many of the bigger ones too .

Ticket selling is a necesary evil in the sport and not just for boxing but any combat sport , id imagine ufc might be an exception to this but thats only due to them holding a brand and having a specific set of fighters so in effect the tickets would work as they would in wwe if that makes sense .

Hi Damian, don't think we have spoken before,

Can i just ask how you go about promoting your own shows? Is it a case of flyers and putting posters up everywhere and doing stuff online etc or do you do it other ways? Thats not a pisstake by the way i genuinely don't know how the 'small hall' promoters do it.
I'm interested to find out just how much 'promoting' you do from your perspective.

My shows are unlicensed mate , not got my pro license just yet .

I do put flyers around etc , posters in all the local boozers and takaways , and utilise facebook and twitter

But i do try to promote specific fighters in Local Free Newspapers that go through every door and in the Nottingham Post a week or so before a show , at current im a bit more reluctant to promote names too much as im going pro and dont want other promotors sniffing around the lads i want to turn pro , ive had a lad do a public pad work out at his local shoppimg center in his small town as he wasnt selling tickets and yet is someone im going to be turning pro so just trying to get him some local support , means both him and myself can earn a bit better , got him a good fight for next show that will hopefully show his ability against an ex pro .

Thanks a lot for your answer mate, must be hard work sometimes but hopefully it all goes well for you.

[mickey1975]

I know a small hall promoter (no names) who pays his lads the following.

Four rounds - £800

Six rounds - £1500

Masters or International Masters 10 rounder - £3000.

However, if they sell over a certain amount of tickets the lads get a percentage on top.


I know a lad who boxed for an English title for just £1500 on a televised show, but he took it for the opportunity more than the money.

I also know a British champion who got between 15k and 26k for his title fights, but the higher amount only came because a rival promoter lodged a big purse bid. In the same weight division, the champion a few years before him once got around 36k for a defence but that was on a big arena show against a big name prospect.

Bateson, Sykes and Johanneson (against Mitchell)? Who is the English title guy?