David Haye set to pocket £1.4m more than Tony Bellew despite defeat in heavyweight clash
- Tony Bellew beat David Haye by TKO after Haye's corner threw in the towel
- Despite losing, Haye is set to pocket £1.4m more than Bellew's purse of £2.8m
- Haye underwent surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon the day after the fight
- Bellew is now set to go on to a world heavyweight title fight after his victory
Despite losing to Tony Bellew in their O2 Arena showdown on Saturday night, injured David Haye is set to pocket £1.4million MORE than his opponent.
Haye was the overwhelming favourite to win the heavyweight bout, but his corner threw in the towel in the 11th round after he ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Regardless of the result, it has emerged that Haye will pocket at least £4.2m from the fight, while Bellew is set to earn £2.8m.
Scroll down for video
David Haye was beaten by Tony Bellew at the O2 but is still set to earn more than his opponent
Haye injured his Achilles early on but carried on until the 11th before the towel was thrown in
It is understood Sky Sports Box Office expected a pay-per-view audience of 600,000 for the fight on Saturday night, but given the drama that occurred in the ring that figure could well have increased.
Bellew's purse was by far the highest of his career so far, while Haye earned more than £10m for his defeat by Wladimir Klitschko back in 2011.
The Merseysider is unlikely to care about pocketing less than his opponent, given that the victory has opened doors for him to earn significantly more in the future.
Tony Bellew could now take his career to the next level with a heavyweight world title fight
Haye may not fight again, given the length of time it takes to recover from an Achilles injury
At 35 years old and 32 fights down, Bellew's career looked to be meandering to a close, but he is set to take part in a world heavyweight title fight next.
Haye, meanwhile, may not fight again after undergoing surgery on his Achilles the day after the fight.
The Hayemaker went straight to hospital from the O2 Arena, and will be out of action for a considerable amount of time as he recovers from the painful injury.
Most watched Sport videos
- Fashionistas flock to Aintree for Grand National frivolities
- Conor McGregor shows incredible power on punchbag machine
- Gotcha!: John Terry gets hit in the crotch by David Luiz
- Conor McGregor arrives in a private jet for the Grand National
- Dangerous: Race marshal pushed through road on bonnet of car
- Nathaniel Chalobah mimics Willian trick on Ola Aina's Instagram story
- Chilling CCTV shows Pardeep as she is followed under bridge
- Walking dead?: 'New Spice strain' turns man into 'zombie'
- One For Arthur wins the Grand National in stunning style
- Pearl Gonzalez does gruelling press-ups ahead of her UFC debut
- Freeedom! Tiny Scottish woman picks a fight in McDonalds
- Two blondes brawl with man after smacking a pizza box from his hands
- Grand National 2017 HORSE RACING RESULTS AND WINNERS:...
- Grand National 2017 full list of runners and riders: Sam...
- Stoke v Liverpool, Manchester City v Hull, Premier League...
- Stoke 1-2 Liverpool: Super-subs Philippe Coutinho and...
- Conor McGregor flouts Aintree's 'smart' dress code as he...
- Conor McGregor takes private jet to Liverpool for Grand...
- Manchester United didn't want him, Sunderland supporters...
- Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea, Premier League RESULT: Eden...
- Lewis Hamilton to start Chinese Grand Prix on pole as F1...
- Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid, La Liga RESULT: Antoine...
- Masters 2017 leaderboard, day three: Sergio Garcia and...
- Bournemouth 1-3 Chelsea: Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso...
- Mesut Ozil lifts the lid on battling racism, Arsenal's...
- Tottenham 4-0 Watford: Son Heung-min hits brace to add to...
- Manchester City and Chelsea have made contact with...
- Real Madrid defender Pepe ruled out for both Bayern...
- Neymar shown bizarre yellow card for tying laces... and...
- Malaga 2-0 Barcelona: Neymar sent off as Barca are unable...