Fury Vs. Usyk Sets A PPV Record – ‘The Heavyweights Are Getting Paid’
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk did over 1.5 million PPV buys, setting a record.
The Undisputed Heavyweight Championship took place on May 18, with Usyk beating Fury via a split decision. The fight delivered more than expected, throwing up a classic. Usyk was on the front foot for the first three rounds before Fury took control in the middle rounds. But as Usyk made the adjustments, he pulled ahead. The Ukrainian almost knocked Fury out in round nine.
However, the referee prevented him from doing so, and Fury received a standing eight count. The fight was available to buy on ESPN, TNT Sports, Sky Sports and DAZN. That brought in a massive audience, with over $50 million in PPV revenue. It was inside the top ten of the most-viewed fights between Floyd Mayweather vs Miguel Cotto, which sold 1.5 million buys, and Mike Tyson vs Peter McNeeley, which sold 1.55 million buys.
PPV Numbers
Reports claim that most of the PPV sales were from the United Kingdom. This is understandable since Fury had a British fanbase. The event also made $40 million from sponsorship deals while getting over $3 million from ticket sales. Nevertheless, the event did suffer some losses. It cost $120 million to put the show on, while £95 million was allegedly lost because of illegal streams.
“Sports piracy is theft. DAZN invests a significant amount in combatting it, using technology to monitor the activity of users, and educating fans about the risks. It may seem a victimless crime, but most illegal feeds are provided by criminal networks or carry the risk of phishing and identity theft. Our advice is don’t risk the sport you care about, or your own data, by using illegal feeds,” DAZN spokesperson said
Boxing fans will get a chance to see the two fighters have a rematch. It has been agreed for December 21. The fight could be for undisputed again. Usyk must defend against his IBF mandatory Daniel Dubois. But he has applied for an exception from the IBF, allowing him to keep the belts longer. If it is granted, the second fight could be just as big, if not more.
Usyk’s Future
Prior to Usyk, the last time boxing fans had an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion was in 1999. Lennox Lewis had defeated Evander Holyfield to clean up all the belts. Boxing fans may have to wait longer even if Usyk is not stripped. He did come up from cruiserweight after having become undisputed there. He has said he finds it difficult to maintain his weight as a heavyweight, hinting that he could drop back down after the Fury rematch. If that happens, the belts will become fragmented. That is the most likely step.
“When I start to prepare for my training camp, I have to eat all the time [at heavyweight]. For me, it’s hard. I don’t like it. I think maybe after the [Fury] rematch I am going to go down in weight to cruiserweight. [And] I want more cruiserweight. Maybe I can be undisputed for a second time in the cruiserweight division. It’s my plan,” Usyk stated
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