Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul’s boxing showdown in Miami last month generated the highest combined purse of 2025, raking in $267m as the British heavyweight secured a sixth-round knockout victory.
The December bout at Hard Rock Stadium, which saw Joshua stop the YouTube star-turned-boxer, finished second overall behind the Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez blockbuster in terms of overall impact, according to a comprehensive breakdown by Betsson.
Crawford’s clash with Alvarez in September topped the rankings with a final score of 94 points, boosted by 1.5 million searches and an attendance of 70,400, although the fight purse was lower at $200m.
Joshua vs Paul attracted two million searches and an attendance of 19,600, earning a final score of 90 points to rank as the second-biggest fight of the year.
The data compiled by Betsson was assessed across searches, attendance, purse, and final score to determine the year’s biggest boxing matchups.
Oleksandr Usyk’s rematch with Daniel Dubois finished third with a final score of 76 points, generating 135,000 searches and recording the highest attendance of 90,000. The fight also carried a $200m purse.
Chris Eubank Jr’s long-awaited clash with Conor Benn placed fourth with 38 points, while Katie Taylor’s trilogy fight with Amanda Serrano and Manny Pacquiao’s bout against Mario Barrios completed the top six with 10 points each.
According to the report, search volume, attendance, and purse data were sourced from Google Keyword Planner, the World Boxing Association website, and major sports publications. These metrics were weighted and indexed to rank the year’s biggest fights, with some figures estimated where public data was unavailable.
Joshua’s return to the ring followed his September 2024 defeat to Dubois at Wembley Stadium. The 36-year-old’s win over Paul marked his first victory since regaining momentum in his career.
However, the former two-time world heavyweight champion was later involved in a fatal car accident in Nigeria on December 29, just 10 days after the Miami fight, which claimed the lives of his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
Joshua sustained minor injuries and has since returned to the United Kingdom. His uncle, Adedamola Joshua, later stated that the boxer has decided to retire from boxing following the tragedy.
