The highest sold PPV events of all time
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Nothing quite captures the imagination of sports fans like a huge event.
As is custom in 2018, these massive sporting occasions are quite often chosen to be sold on a pay-per-view basis. The bigger the hype, the more money made from fans parting with their cash to tune in live.
As released this week, golf are set to enter the PPV ring with the one-on-one showdown between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, with the winner taking $9m.
As a new sport is hitting the PPV scene, we thought we’d take a look at the current biggest boxing and MMA events in terms of PPV sales.
=14. Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez III - 1.4m PPV buys
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had previously met twice in the build up to this fight. The first ended as a draw, the second was won by Pacquiao via a split decision. The third instalment took place in Las Vegas in 2011. Pacquiao won this fight too via a close decision, a decision that was highly controversial with many people believing that Marquez should have been awarded the victory.
=14. Evander Holyfield v George Foreman - 1.4m PPV buys
Labelled “The Battle of the Ages”, 42-year-old George Foreman challenged 28-year-old undisputed heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield to a ding-dong back in 1991. Foreman surprised many fans and pundits by going the distance with the champion, but he lost via a unanimous decision.
=12. Conor McGregor v Nate Diaz I - 1.5m PPV buys
Already a title winner at lightweight and featherweight, Conor McGregor stepped up another division to fight Nate Diaz. The decision backfired though, as he fell to a second round submission loss.
=12. Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Miguel Cotto - 1.5m PPV buys
This fight did well for PPV sales but the bout didn’t really live up to anything special. Mayweather cruised to one of his synonymous 12-round points decision wins.
11. Mike Tyson v Peter McNeeley - 1.55m PPV buys
With all due respect to Peter McNeeley, this fight was all about Mike Tyson. It was his first fight back after he spent three years in jail for rape. 1.58 million people tuned in to watch the return of the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, although they didn’t get to see much. Just 89 seconds into the fight, McNeeley was dropped for a second time and his manager Vinnie Vecchione entered the ring to prevent his fighter from taking any more damage, meaning Tyson officially won by disqualification.
10. Mike Tyson v Evander Holyfield I - 1.59m PPV buys
The meeting between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield took place in 1995 and was Tyson’s first defence of the WBA title. He was the huge favourite but Holyfield pulled off the upset, winning by TKO in the 11th round.
9. Brock Lesnar v Frank Mir II - 1.6m PPV buys
Appearing as the headline act on the card of UFC 100 in 2009, Lesnar took on Mir for a second time. He won the fight thanks to a second round stoppage. The 100th UFC PPV featured other fighters such as George St-Pierre and Michael Bisping and was dubbed “The Event of the Year”.
8. Nate Diaz v Conor McGregor II - 1.65m PPV buys
The second highest MMA fight in the list in terms of PPV buys, Conor McGregor took on Nate Diaz again to avenge his defeat in their first meeting. He claimed victory by decision.
7. Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson - 1.97m PPV buys
In 2002, Lennox Lewis put his world titles on the line against Mike Tyson with one particular press conference brawl involving both fighters and their entourage making a lot of headlines. During the fighting that took place in the ring, Lewis was clearly the better man and won by knockout in round eight.
6. Mike Tyson v Evander Holyfield II - 1.99m PPV buys
The rematch between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield is one of the most infamous events in sporting ever. It was the first PPV event in history to gross $100m. Tyson bit the ear of Holyfield which led to him being disqualified from the bout. It’s now more well known as “The Bite Fight”.
5. Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez - 2.2m PPV buys
It was no surprise when the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Álvarez was made. Mayweather was 44-0 at the time, Álvarez was 42-0 and the fact it was an American against a Mexican gave it extra spice. The fight was won by Mayweather in a 12-round majority decision.
4. Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather Jr. - 2.4m PPV buys
The super welterweight fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather in 2007 was a big one. People who tuned in on PPV got their money’s worth as the fight went all 12 rounds with Mayweather winning by a split decision.
3. Conor McGregor v Khabib Nurmagomedov - 2.?m PPV buys
The biggest MMA fight ever in terms of PPV sales, that much is for sure, but we don’t yet know the exact figure. Dana White claims it did “way over 2 million” but conceded it didn’t hit the 3 million mark, so we’re pitching it here in third. Khabib won the fight itself, but the four rounds in the Octagon were marred by controversy when both fighters were involved in post-bout fracases and subsequently banned indefinitely from the sport.
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor - 4.3m PPV buys
This fight was hotly anticipated thanks to the intriguing notion of MMA fighter Conor McGregor switching codes to fight probably the best ever pound-for-pound fighter in Mayweather. Widely considered to be a money-making event, the bout ended in the 10th. It turned out that the epic build-up, which included a tour across four cities, was better than the action inside the ring.
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Manny Pacquiao - 4.6m PPV buys
It probably happened a few years too late but the whole world finally got the fight they wanted to see when Mayweather and Pacquiao squared off in 2015. The fight broke all kinds of records with so many PPV orders being made that the fight time had to be pushed back whilst the broadcasters fixed some of the technical issues caused by the sheer number of people tuning in. It was one of the most anticipated sporting events in history and it went all 12 rounds with Mayweather winning by unanimous decision.