Zuffa Boxing fight purses and Paramount deal revealed.
Dana White’s first Zuffa Boxing card happened last weekend, but most of the talk surrounding Zuffa Boxing recently has been in regards to who they’re reportedly looking to sign.
They have already signed Jai Opetaia, something which shocked many. Since then, we have heard that Zuffa Boxing is interested in signing both Oleksandr Usyk and Jesse Rodríguez.
The likelihood of the latter signing with Zuffa Boxing seems to have now gone down, with Matchroom Boxing having made an offer matching the one Zuffa Boxing made.
The Guardian report that Zuffa Boxing is being paid $100 million to put on 12 shows a year in a 5-year deal.
Now Robert Garcia, the trainer of Jesse Rodríguez and many others, has revealed the type of purses that boxers who fight on Zuffa cards are receiving, saying in an interview with Naji Chill of Cigar Talk, “My two fighters that fought at that event, they’re happy [with how much they earned].”
One of Garcia’s fighters who fought on the undercard of Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo had made about $4,000 for an 8-round fight earlier in his career. But according to Garcia, this fighter received four times that amount after fighting on the Zuffa Boxing card.
The fight between Cain Sandoval and Julian Rodriguez was considered the best on Zuffa’s first card, and according to Dana White, “They won $50,000. The performance of the night went to Rodriguez, who won $100,000, and then [Robert] Meriwether. He won 50.”
Unconfirmed reports have also suggested that unranked boxers who fight on Zuffa cards could receive between $10,000 and $20,000, with the payout seeming to get higher if the fighter is more highly ranked. And while title challengers could receive $375,000, defending champions may earn around $750,000.
A concern has been raised over how UFC fighters may react to how much boxers will be paid, especially since Zuffa Boxing plans to stick to a schedule of weekly events. In an interview with iFL TV, Eddie Hearn stated, “I think one of the really interesting things when I look at the business is going to be how the UFC talent roster reacts to the amount of money that these guys are paying fighters.”
And with the UFC’s own deal with Paramount allegedly being worth $7.7 billion, UFC fighters will be expecting bigger paydays. How this situation unfolds remains to be seen.
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