The heavyweight battle between rival, unbeaten champions Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury sure delivered in terms of terrific action, and it looks as though the fight was a big hit in terms of Pay-Per-View buys. As per a news story from RingTV.com, the fight is expected to be confirmed as a 300,000 success. These numbers, still to be tallied and confirmed, do not include UK Pay-Per-View buys.
Before the fight, some critics said the fight would be a veritable flop at both the live gate and on Pay-Per-View. Not so. The live paying audience inside The Staples Centre in Los Angles was an impressive 18,000-plus and the expected Pay-Per-View numbers are also good. According to Ring, the break-even point for Showtime is 250,000, meaning that if the fight does exceed 300,000 it will have earned both fighters even more money. And how they earned it.
Also according to Ring, if the numbers do top 300,00, the Fury-Wilder fight will go down as one of the biggest hits of the decade for a fight not involving superstars Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao or Canelo Alvarez.
No wonder all concerned are eager to do it all again and have Wilder and Fury fight a second time. As special as the first fight was – and controversial – imagine how many fight fans will buy the rematch! These two need to do it again, the split draw proving to be an item of contention here at the end of what has been a great year for the sport. The rematch could take place in the UK, maybe in London, or perhaps Las Vegas will secure the fight this time round.
Last Saturday’s fight helped bring back some genuine heavyweight magic, the likes of which has not been seen since the 1990s. A rematch could be even better, and even bigger at the Box Office.
It was of course Wilder’s first ever pay-per-view fight, as was it Fury’s first in the U.S. Between them, these two giants did their chosen sport proud on a number of levels.