Expert: Jack Rose - 1/23/2008

Question
If a fighter just turned pro how much money can he make per fight? and usually how long does it take for a fighter to move up in money per fight?

Answer
Hi Jared,  It is different for every fighter but I can give you general breakdown.
A guy who just won a gold medal at the olympics would get tv fights right off the bat. He will make somewhere around 5 to 10 grand his first few fights. He'll make this amount until they stop padding his record. Maybe around 10 fights he will fight a decent journeyman which will bump him up to 15 grand. As quick as 14 or 15 bouts he might be matched against a 9 or 10th ranked guy which would make a feature bout on cable and get him 20 to 30 grand. By now he will likely get another ranked opponent and make an undercard fight on an HBO, like a pre main event fight. Here he could be making around 80 maybe even $100 grand. Now he's a serious contender and looking at some big money.
On the other hand, A guy turns pro and has no marketable name. Nobody really knows who he is but he's been around. He  had your average amateur record. No tv for maybe 15 bouts or more. Only if he has serious connections will he make tv before he racks up a 15-0 record. He'll fight in local small shows or maybe get with a small promoter and do the casino circuit. He will make around 1 or 2 grand a fight. At small shows with no promoter deal, he will only make 500 bucks or so if he's lucky. This guy will have to rack up a 27-0 record before he makes the money that the first guy made at 14-0.
Now there are many guys that fall in between these two examples. And there are a lot more that have never even fought before that turn pro on a whim that will never make more than $500 a fight in their career.
PPV events pay the best....showtime and HBO are next.. then ESPN....
there are a few other variables that decide what you make too....crowd appeal, knockout power.
But, remember this, you do not have to have a great record to make money as a pro. It is possible to be 15 - 15 for example and make $30 grand a fight or whatever...the bottom line is, you have to please the crowd. If you decent skills and fight hard and pour your heart out....they will love you.

hope this helps