Fight Purse Calculator
Net earnings after manager, trainer, and tax deductions.
About this calculator
This calculator walks a fighter's payday from contracted purse down to real take-home pay. Total gross combines the guaranteed purse, a win bonus (only if the fighter actually won), and sponsor/endorsement income. Manager and trainer fees are each a percentage of fight earnings only — the guaranteed purse plus any win bonus — deliberately excluding sponsor income, since cornermen typically aren't cut in on outside endorsement deals. An athletic commission fee is applied as a flat 4% of the guaranteed purse, reflecting typical state sanctioning-body cuts.
Taxes are calculated on a taxable-income base that subtracts camp costs and the commission fee first, treating both as deductible business expenses before the tax rate is applied. Net take-home then subtracts every fee, the commission cut, camp costs, and taxes from total gross, and the calculator reports that as both a dollar figure and a take-home percentage of gross. It also divides net earnings by a fixed three rounds to estimate per-round value — a simplification since real fights run anywhere from three to twelve rounds depending on the bout — and computes a camp ROI comparing net earnings against camp costs. Use it to see how sensitive a fighter's real payday is to manager cut, tax rate, or camp spending, not as a substitute for an actual accountant or contract review.
Step 1 of 3
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the contracted fight purse and any show or win bonus amounts.
- Set your manager percentage, trainer percentage, and promotional deductions.
- Review your net take-home pay after all fees and deductions.
- Check state athletic commission licensing fees and medical exam costs.
- Use the total cost breakdown to understand your real earnings per fight.
How the result changes with Tax rate %
| Tax rate % | Net take-home ($) |
|---|---|
| 15 | $52,050.00 |
| 23 | $44,610.00 |
| 45 | $24,150.00 |
| 50 | $19,500.00 |
What each input means
- Guaranteed purse ($)
- Guaranteed fight purse before deductions.
- Win bonus ($)
- Bonus paid for winning the fight.
- Won the fight? (1=Yes, 0=No)
- 1 if the fighter won, 0 if they lost.
- Sponsor/endorsement ($)
- Income from sponsorships and endorsements for this fight.
- Manager fee %
- Manager's percentage of fight earnings (typically 10-20%).
- Trainer fee %
- Head trainer's percentage of fight earnings (typically 10%).
- Corner team fees ($)
- Flat fees for cutman, assistant trainers, and cornermen.
- Tax rate %
- Combined federal and state income tax rate.
- Camp costs ($)
- Total fight camp expenses (gym, sparring partners, nutrition, travel).
What each result means
- Net take-home ($)
- Final take-home pay after all deductions and taxes.
- Total gross income ($)
- Total income before any deductions.
- Take-home %
- Percentage of gross income actually kept.
- Manager fee ($)
- Amount paid to manager.
- Trainer fee ($)
- Amount paid to head trainer.
- Commission fee ($)
- Athletic commission fee (~4% of purse).
- Taxes ($)
- Estimated income tax owed.
- Total deductions ($)
- Sum of all deductions including taxes.
- Earnings per round ($)
- Net earnings divided by 3 rounds.
- Camp ROI %
- Return on fight camp investment.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersGuaranteed purse ($) = 50000, Win bonus ($) = 50000, Won the fight? (1=Yes, 0=No) = 1, Sponsor/endorsement ($) = 5000 = 9 input(s) provided
- Calculate Net take-homeNet take-home38100 = $38,100
- Calculate Total gross incomeTotal gross income105000 = $105,000
- Calculate Take-home %Take-home %36.3 = 36.3
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't sponsor income get reduced by the manager and trainer fee percentages?
Manager and trainer fees are calculated only against 'fight earnings' — the guaranteed purse plus any win bonus — and the calculator deliberately excludes sponsor/endorsement income from that base. That models how cornermen contracts are typically structured around the fight purse itself, with sponsorship deals usually negotiated and paid separately, outside the corner's percentage cut.
How does losing the fight change the net take-home number?
If 'Won the fight?' is set to no, the win bonus is excluded from total gross entirely, and since manager and trainer fees are calculated on fight earnings (purse plus bonus), those fees shrink too — losing removes both the bonus itself and the corner team's cut of it. Only the guaranteed purse and sponsor income remain, so a loss typically has an outsized effect on take-home pay whenever the win bonus made up a large share of the total.
Why are camp costs and the commission fee subtracted before taxes are calculated?
The calculator treats camp costs and the athletic commission fee as deductible business expenses, so taxable income is total gross minus those two items — not the full gross amount. That lowers the taxable base before the tax percentage is applied, similar to how self-employed fighters can typically deduct legitimate training and licensing expenses before calculating owed tax.
Is the 'earnings per round' figure based on how many rounds the fight actually went?
No — it always divides net earnings by a fixed 3 rounds regardless of the scheduled or actual fight length, which can run anywhere from 3 rounds (amateur/some pro bouts) to 12 rounds (title fights). Treat it as a rough per-round reference point rather than a literal calculation tied to your specific fight's round count.
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