A major number for what figured to be a bit of a circus show on paper.
How eagerly anticipated was the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr pay-per-view? Well it looks like it actually outperformed Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury 2 and several UFC shows.
Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported on late Tuesday that the estimates for last weekend’s event are north of one million buys. This factors in digital purchases on Fite.tv and Triller, as well as traditional cable and satellite companies. It’d be the best-selling boxing PPV of 2020 for sure (not that they had much competition) and one of the highest overall in recent years.
Tyson fought Jones to an unofficial draw in a special eight-round exhibition. There were also musical performances by the likes of French Montana, Wiz Khalifa, and Snoop Dogg (who doubled up on commentary).
While Tyson vs. Jones was the main event, the one thing to consider when looking at the success of this show is less about Tyson and Jones and more about Jake Paul. He is a major celebrity in ways I can barely comprehend and I suspect that would also apply to a lot of other combat sports fans.
Between Jake and his brother Logan Paul, they have almost 10 million followers on Twitter and I imagine well over 30 million Instagram followers. If they have an established audience willing to buy their YouTube boxing cards from when they were amateurs, they’ll gladly pay $50 to watch them fight other YouTube stars (or in this instance, former NBA player Nate Robinson).
Needless to say, this certainly was a massive success and may yet reinvigorate the celebrity boxing market and perhaps carve out a new market for more exhibitions like Tyson vs. Jones.