It looks like the highly-anticipated Boxing match between Jake Paul and Ben Askren did great business on Saturday night.
According to SB Nation affiliate Bad Left Hook, the event reportedly broke the 1.45 million pay-per-view buy mark, and could exceed two million once traditional and digital pay-per-view outlets are included in the mix.
Paul recently posted on his Instagram that the event accumulated “1.5 million PPV buys…. $75 million dollars generated”. While the formal announcement hasn’t been made regarding the exact economics of the bout, it appears to have garnered the attention of millions around the world.
Leading up to the fight, MMA Fighting reported that Askren would make $500,000 for fighting Paul, who earned at least $690,000 for his knockout victory in the first round.
In the card’s co-main event, Regis Prograis earned the highest purse payout of $850,000 for his impressive victory over Ivan Redkach.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir also earned $350,000 after falling to Steve Cunningham, who earned $150,000 for the victory in their fight.
Despite the massive success, the Askren/Paul fight isn’t the highest-selling combat sports event so far in 2021. That honor would go to UFC 257, which reportedly sold 1.6 million PPV buys and featured the second bout between top UFC lightweights Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
But love him or hate him, it appears that Paul has skyrocketed into one of the most profitable assets in Boxing today. Despite a small sample size of just three fights with three knockout victories, Paul could emerge among the top profiteers in Boxing with a few more fights under his belt.
It’s unclear as of right now what Paul will do for his next fight. MMA veterans BJ Penn, Mike Perry and Dillon Danis have been rumored as possible adversaries in the future; with additional interest in matchups with UFC stars Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.
Askren confirmed after the bout that he will not make a return to any type of cage, and will transition his focus to coaching wrestling in his native Wisconsin.
Do you think Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren could go down as one of the highest-earning PPVs at the end of 2021?