When you receive an offer from HE Turki Alalshikh, it sets in motion a glamorous event. A grand arena, a star-studded audience sitting in the front rows, and a stacked undercard to top it off. But it also means one more thing -you are taking home bags of money. That’s the allure of it. Boxers and promoters have flocked to the new fight capital of the world, Riyadh, in a bid to secure hefty paychecks and profits. But this time, the air is a bit different around Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.

As soon as the reports of Beterbiev vs. Bivol’s purse hit the internet, the figures didn’t sit well with the fans. Speculated numbers stood at $10 million each for the two champions for showing up on October 12 at the Kingdom Arena and putting their gold straps on the line. However, given the deep implications of this fight in boxing’s history books and the high-stakes nature of it, the fans expected the two to earn more. And it’s an expectation they rightly hold after witnessing what has transpired in the boxing world in the past couple of years.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol: Fighting on the green side of Saudi

Let’s put things in perspective first. When Francis Ngannou walked to the center of the ring against Tyson Fury, he earned $10 million for his appearance. But when the former UFC champion did the same against Anthony Joshua, he pocketed $20 million. That’s a hefty sum for a boxing match when you haven’t donned professional boxing gloves before. Meanwhile, both Fury and Joshua left the arena $50 million wealthier.

These numbers have only ballooned this year, with ‘The Gypsy King’ netting close to $100 million for putting his WBC title on the line against Oleksandr Usyk and endeavoring for the undisputed heavyweight title. Compared to it, Bivol and Beterbiev are not paid enough for risking their legacy and career at such a critical juncture. It’s a fight that will crown the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in history and yet the scale and the stature of the fight doesn’t meet the check’s numbers.

In addition, both Bivol and Beterbiev have scaled the heights of popularity and have made their way to the casual fans’ boxing vocabulary. Therefore, not paying them what they deserve has been the fans’ criticism. However, that might not be the case altogether.

But the grass is not greener on the other side

When Bivol fought against Canelo Álvarez, he had the biggest payday of his career, as the Tokmok native took $5 million as fees. The same rationale applied for Beterbiev whose paycheck had hit a ceiling of $1.6 million on his fight against Callum Smith in his last fight. Hence, what HE Turki Alalshikh is already paying him is their highest pay to date. Not to mention that they will get a pie of the PPV share. You can also point to the other add-ons and endorsement deals that will boost their income from their outing on October 12.

The real reason their money bags are not the same size as the heavyweight boxers is that Riyadh Season has expended now. Earlier, only heavyweight boxers had the privilege to fight on Saudi soil, as HE Turki Alalshikh started the boxing revolution in the heavyweight division. But he has now ventured to other divisions and has more fighters and promoters under his wing and it has affected the recent splashing of cash. In this context, Bivol and Beterbiev’s guaranteed purse of $10 million each makes sense. And to remind you, even that $10 million figure is not confirmed by official sources. It could be higher still.

What do you make of this equal pay split between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol? Do you believe it was the right call? Let us know in the comments below.