George Groves and Chris Eubank Jr will both be winners when they look at their bank balances after the mayhem in Manchester this weekend.
Both boxers are guaranteed to return home with £1.5million from their World Boxing Super Series semi-final.
Losing the super-middleweight clash will undoubtedly dent the pride of the boxer who does not have his arm lifted in the ring and they will also look on in envy as the victor proceeds to face either Liverpool’s Callum Smith or German Juergen Braehmer in the final later this year.
Prizemoney for the tournament was set before it started with around £20million in the pot and the finalists splitting just over £6m between them.
The winner will be given a cheque for £4.3m and the loser will receive the rest but will lose any belts in his possession.
The British blockbuster between Groves and Eubank Jr will be screened as a pay-per-view event on ITV but the pair will not receive any income from that even though times expected to generate a huge armchair audience.
Tickets for the show at the Manchester Arena also sold like hot cakes and are in huge demand with the prices from secondary sales going throug the roof.
Such is the extraordinary demand that Birmingham boxer Frankie Gavin took to Twitter this week to ask if there were any ringside seats for sale and it is a racing certainty they will be on the market at inflated prices.
World Super Series promoter Kalle Sauerland said: ‘We have invested a lot of money to try and not be too like boxing. If you look at Wimbledon, would Roger Federer get a bonus because Swiss TV paid extra?
‘He’d get prize money, like fighters will here. It means the fight purses will not be affected by the pay-per-view figures, which could become a problem in the future if bankable stars want a cut of the revenue their name is bringing in. The winner of the super-middleweight tournament will claim themselves as the division’s champion and take home the Muhammad Ali Trophy and the WBC ‘Diamond title.’
The World Super Series concept has certainly caught the public’s imagination and there is no reason why it should not be in equally high demand at other divisions with middleweight and lightweight immediately springing to mind.
The concept refreshes boxing’s image which has been battling in the United States in particular to stave off the threat posed by UFC and it puts our brilliant sport where it deserves to be – firmly in the spotlight.
