Boxers are often perceived as super wealthy, boasting seven or eight-figure net worths. While this is true for some, for the majority of boxers, such wealth remains a distant dream. It often takes a breakthrough boxing match or an unexpected upset to catapult them into superstardom, where they begin earning the kind of money boxers are known for.

In reality, only a very small percentage of boxers achieve such financial success. If there’s any lingering doubt about the pay disparity between the most popular fighters and lesser-known ones, consider the perspective of a former professional boxer who won a bronze medal for his country at the Olympics.

“Boxers are well underpaid,” Tony Jeffries said in a video shared on his Instagram account. Jeffries competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the light heavyweight division, winning a bronze medal. He made his professional debut in 2009, and proceeded to appear in 10 fights, racking up an unbeaten record of 9-0-1 before calling it quits in 2011. 

Despite his short tenure in the pro scene, he knows the ins and outs of the sport like the back of his hand. “Not many people know this, but there are a lot of professional boxers out there [who] are paying money to fight,” he added. He explained that many boxers pay their opponents to fight them, and collect the revenue generated from their fight, “which is very little.”

When pressed whether it’s even worth pursuing a career in the sport, Jeffries had some bad news for budding prospects and amateurs. “If you want to be rich and earn loads of money, don’t be a boxer because there are very [few] fighters out there that make money to be successful and buy flash cars and be set for the rest of life,” he said. 

He went as far as to suggest that just 0.1% of the boxers make enough money in boxing to retire from the sport. With Jeffries’ claims in mind, now take a look at the leaked pay structure TKO Boxing intends to introduce for their boxing league. 

Dana White’s boxing league salaries

Earlier this year, reports revealed Dana White, a long-time boxing fan, will enter the boxing sphere as a promoter with backing from UFC’s parent company, TKO Boxing, and Saudi Arabia. Later reports surfaced, which seem to show leaked salaries for various boxers at various levels. Tensions were high due to UFC’s history with fighter pay, but the actual numbers were decent. 

According to Boxing Scene, fighters in the league will have a tiered pay scale. Unranked boxers are set to earn $20,000 for 10-round fights, while fighters ranked #5–#10 would get $50,000. Those ranked #3–#4 would receive $125,000. Title challengers could earn $375,000, and defending champions may bank $750,000.

Though not finalized, these figures suggest a structured system similar to UFC’s pay model. Even though it’s not the sort of money Canelo Alvarez or Floyd Mayweather made, considering Jeffries’ claims, these are far better. 

That said, even though most boxers are making pennies compared to popular names, the new TKO Boxing seems to be a ray of hope for them. However, only time will tell whether TKO Boxing’s adventure in the sports turns out to be successful. What are your thoughts on the matter?