@caro.eth

Watching Anthony KO Jake last night is the equivalent of Oscar De La Hoya fighting Marky Mark at his cultural peak 😂 The difference is that in the legacy era, actual boxing credibility mattered. The official purses haven’t been released yet, but reported estimates suggest a ~$184M split, roughly 50/50. Oscar De La Hoya’s highest paid fight came in 2007 against Mayweather, where he earned ~$52M, roughly $80 to $90M in today’s dollars. Boxing paid talent more reliably and more fairly in the 90s and early 2000s. Today, it pays louder and rarer. I loved boxing in that era because it created stars first, and money followed proof of excellence. Promoters extracted value, yes, but the talent curve was upward. Boxing now monetizes attention: platforms (Netflix), sponsors (Polymarket), Anthony’s ~$400K chain, plus undisclosed deals. The pipeline of elite talent has thinned, and fights like Oscar De La Hoya vs Mayweather level matchups are becoming increasingly rare.

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