Five Biggest Box Office Boxing Matches of All Time
Seeing as Floyd Mayweather Jr. is often referred to as one of the most accurate punchers ever seen, and the best defensive boxer in the history of boxing, it should come as no surprise to discover that he dominates the five biggest box office matches of all time. Throughout his career, Mayweather generated around 24 million pay-per-view buys and revenue of around $1.67 billion (USD).
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5. Holyfield Versus Tyson
One of the most bizarre bouts of all time was the 1997 fight between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson. It gained notoriety for all the wrong reasons, as Tyson was disqualified for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear. The match caused Tyson to lose his boxing license, although it was later reinstated. What was billed as “The Sound and the Fury” has since always been known as “The Bite Fight”. Even the most devoted boxing fans could not have predicted Tyson’s behaviour. But if you are interested in betting on upcoming fights and other sports, you can find all the latest odds and news with Casumo sports betting.
With Tyson’s purse of £24.3 million, Holyfield’s purse of £28.4 million, gate money of £11.6 million, and 1,990,000 pay-per-view-buys worth £81.4 million, creating a total of £145.7 million, the match was the fifth-biggest box office fight in history.
4. Mayweather Versus De La Hoya
Billed as “The World Awaits”, the 2007 match between six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya and undefeated four-division champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the most lucrative fight in the history of boxing at the time. It generated around £187 million, from De La Hoya’s purse of £42 million, Mayweather’s purse of £20 million, PPV of £110 million and gate revenue of £15 million. Mayweather Jr. won by split decision to gain the World Boxing Council light middleweight title. The match earned Mayweather the nickname “Money”, and the fighter certainly lived up to that name thereafter, seeing as he earned even more money for fights over the next ten years.
3. Mayweather Versus Canelo
Canelo Álvarez must have thought he had a good chance of taking down the formidable Mayweather when he challenged the pound-for-pound fighter in a bout billed as “The One”. The match was held in September 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in front of a sell-out crowd of 16,746 fans. But Mayweather won the fight on points in a 12-round majority decision, and with a purse of £65 million for Mayweather, he was surely laughing all the way to the bank. Canelo’s purse was worth $9.7 million. Meanwhile, the gate brought in revenue of £20 million, and PPV raised £120 million, making it the third biggest box office match of all time.
2. Mayweather Versus McGregor
The so-called “Money Fight” of August 2017 recorded the second highest pay-per-view buy rate in boxing history. It was Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor’s debut boxing match, as he faced the undefeated eleven-time boxing world champion Mayweather. The much-hyped fight took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada, and it ended when Mayweather defeated McGregor in the 10th round via technical knockout. “The Money Fight” lived up to its name. The PPV rate was £325 million, and the gate revenue was £44 million. With Mayweather’s purse at £223.5 million and McGregor’s at £70 million, the fight was worth a total of £662.5 million.
1. Floyd Mayweather Versus Manny Pacquiao
In May 2015, two of the greatest boxers on the planet met in the ring in what was dubbed “the fight of the century”. Fans had been waiting for five years to see the two pound-for-pound boxers clash. However, despite the bout selling a record 4.6 million PPVs worth £333 million and tickets on the gate of £58.7 million, making it the biggest box office boxing match of all time, the fight did not deliver the excitement that was hoped-for. Mayweather won on points. But both fighters came out of the match financially-rewarded. Pacquiao reportedly earned £122 million from the fight, while Mayweather earned £223.5 million. With PPV, gate, and fighter totals added together; the 2015 match was worth £678 million.
