Purse
What is a Purse?
In boxing, the purse is the money a fighter earns for a bout. It is agreed before the fight and can be a fixed amount, a set minimum plus a share of event revenue, or a combination of both.
Key Points:
- Origins: The term comes from the early prize ring, when the prize money for a contest was held in a purse and paid out after the fight.
- Deductions: A fighter's take-home pay is usually lower than the announced purse. Manager and trainer fees, sanctioning fees for title fights, licensing and medical costs are commonly deducted.
- Purse bids: When rival promoters can't agree on terms for a mandatory title fight, a sanctioning body may hold a purse bid, awarding the promotional rights to the highest bidder and dividing the purse between the fighters according to its rules.
- Minimum purses: There is currently no federal minimum purse in the United States. The proposed Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act would set a minimum of $200 per scheduled round for boxers contracted to a Unified Boxing Organization.
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