One of the hottest topics in combat sports is the discrepancy in pay between boxers and UFC fighters.
However, a conversation that has often been swept under the rug is the wage gap between the men and women of boxing. But due to the rising popularity of women's boxing, it's possible that the gap in fight purses could begin to close in 2022.
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It's been well documented that even the best female boxers are struggling to make ends meet, regardless of how many world titles they own. Unlike their male counterparts, female fighters have often had to keep a second job because their fight purses were simply not enough to make a living.
Two-division undisputed champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields addressed the salary disparity with Sporting News ahead of her February 5 undisputed middleweight title defense against Ema Kozin in Cardiff, Wales.
"(The pay in women's boxing) is unfair but it's getting better," the 26-year-old says ahead of her return to the boxing ring following a 1-1 detour in MMA. "I'm not disappointed with what I'm being paid to fight Ema Kozin or what I'll be paid to fight Savannah Marshall because my pay continues to go up."
In her last boxing match on Showtime against Marie-Eve Dicaire in May 2021, Shields earned a reported $350,000. While that pales in comparison to the $30 million purse that Tyson Fury will earn when he defends his WBC heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte later this year, Shields is optimistic that the growth of women's boxing will lead to higher paydays.
Seeds were planted in 2021 that women's boxing could see a significant boon, and 2022 is seeing some of those seeds begin to sprout as the highly anticipated showdown between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor is locked in for April 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York. While it's not yet known what Serrano and Taylor will earn, it's certain to be the highest payday for both fighters. Taylor recently earned a $500,000 guarantee for her December 2021 victory over Firuza Sharipova. Serrano took home $275,000 in her one-sided victory over Miriam Gutierrez on the undercard of Jake Paul's rematch with Tyron Woodley last December. Both are rumored to earn a seven-figure purse when they clash in April.
Women's boxing has seen significant growth over the past couple of years with the emergence of Jessica McCaskill, Alycia Baumgardner, and Mikaela Mayer. Shields is excited to see other fighters break through and thinks it will help drive fighter purses up for the women of the sweet science.
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"We are getting paid more now because we are getting more notoriety," says Shields. "We are on TV more and people want to tune in for our fights. Women's boxing is booming because the big fights are getting made."
Shields says that she plans on making a return to mixed martial arts before the end of the year but plans on handling amateur rival Savannah Marshall first after she's finished with Kozin. And she fully expects to make more against Marshall than she will against Kozin. It may not be immediate, but Shields is optimistic that women's boxing will see a gradual growth in fight purses.
"It's going to take another year or two," she says. "And then you're going to start hearing about women being paid $1 million for one fight."