Tuesday, May 12, 2015

About That Whole "Boxing Is Dead" Thing...



4.4 million.

That's how many Pay Per View buys there were for the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout according to Showtime.

4.4 million.

That crushes all previous records.

Oh, and the amount of money the live gate brought in?

How's over $72 million sound?

That pretty much grinds all previous records into dust, as well.

And yet I've been told repeatedly - and rather smugly at times - that boxing is dead. 

Well, as they say, numbers don't lie. And these numbers are astronomical. Mayweather-Pacquiao took in about half a billion dollars total. That's half a billion. What's more, it's looking like the uptick in interest in the sweet science is more than just a one time thing. 

For a week before Mayweather-Pacquiao, heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko beat a game, competitive Bryant Jennings live on HBO. The numbers for that fight were the highest for HBO since 2012. Yet there's more to tell.

A week after Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez bested James Kirkland in a three round war. The numbers for that fight were the highest for HBO since 2006. See where this is going? 

Now, about that whole "Boxing is dead" thing... 

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