Manny Pacquiao’s return to the United States has apparently fared better than expected on pay-per-view.
It looks as if Manny Pacquiao still commands a decent-sized pay-per-view audience even in 2019.
Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger reported on Tuesday that Pacquiao’s dominant decision win over Adrien Broner from last week is “tracking at over 400,000” buys, which would have to be considered a success given the relative lack of mainstream promotion and the fact that Pacquiao hasn’t fought on PPV since November 2016. This would be at least 75,000 buys more than the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury heavyweight clash from last month. Both cards cost $75 to watch in high-definition or streamed online through Showtime’s app.
If this number holds true for Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), then it’ll equal or outperform his last three non-Floyd Mayweather PPV outings: Jessie Vargas (300,000 buys, November 2016), trilogy with Timothy Bradley (400,000, April 2016), and Chris Algieri (400,000, November 2014). The third Bradley fight was a noted commercial failure that failed to meet pre-fight projections. It lost money for Top Rank Boxing, and HBO soon released Pacquiao from his contract.
Pacquiao’s last two fights were on ESPN and ESPN+ respectively, as he kicked off Top Rank’s ESPN deal with a controversial loss to Jeff Horn in July 2017, then TKO’d Lucas Matthysse on ESPN+ the following year. He parted ways with Top Rank to sign with Al Haymon, the powerful adviser/manager who started PBC and also advises Floyd Mayweather. This partnership opens the door for a Mayweather rematch (whether you like it or not), or matchups with other top PBC welterweights such as Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia.
As for Broner, this was his first PPV main event — his performance ideally would make this double as his last — and he appears to have been a credible B-side. He’s been one of Showtime’s bigger television draws over the years, and that looks to have translated over to PPV. His purse was recorded at $2.5 million, whereas Pacquiao’s was $10 million, but Pacquiao’s official guarantee is at least $20 million, while Broner’s is also higher. They both stood to make more through a cut of the PPV revenue.
The next boxing PPV is March 16th, when Errol Spence Jr defends his welterweight title against Mikey Garcia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It’s the first pay-per-view event distributed by FOX Sports under its new deal with PBC.