Showtime executive vice president Stephen Espinoza told Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden on Friday that the Aug. 26 superfight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is “tracking” to generate more than 4 million pay-per-view purchases.
According to the Los Angeles Times‘ Lance Pugmire, Espinoza said “it’s too early to declare a hard number,” but the fight is “tracking in the mid-to-high 4 million pay-per view buys.”
Pugmire added the fight is “expected” to top $600 million in total revenue and has a chance to exceed the record 4.6 million pay-per-view purchases generated by Mayweather’s 2015 fight against Manny Pacquiao.
“If we don’t reach the record, we’re going to be very, very close,” Espinoza said.
According to Pugmire, final pay-per-view numbers are expected to be released next week.
Skepticism rightly enveloped the lead-up to the fight, which pitted the undefeated Mayweather against McGregor in the UFC lightweight champion’s first-ever boxing match.
But in a pleasant surprise, Mayweather and McGregor put on a far more entertaining and competitive show than anyone could have expected.
While McGregor was ultimately defeated via 10th-round TKO, the Irishman held his own before the stoppage. According to MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta, McGregor landed 111 punches total—30 more than Pacquiao connected on in his unanimous decision defeat against Mayweather.
“He’s a tough competitor,” Mayweather said after improving to 50-0, per MMAFighting. “I think we gave the fans want they wanted to see. He was a lot better than I thought he was.”
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