The biggest combat sports PPVs of all time

It is fair to say that the concept of pay-per-view events has progressed a long way since the first one was broadcast in 1960.

Floyd Patterson’s rematch against Swede Ingemar Johansson generated 25,000 buys, which was rated as a massive success at the time.

The clash between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971 further highlighted the appeal of PPVs, generating a whopping $500million.

With recent research by Betway Insider highlighting that one billion viewers watched Ali’s fight against George Foreman in 1974, the organisers must have wished they had made it a PPV.

The past few decades have featured hundreds of combat sports events that have delivered massive revenues. Read on as we look at the five highest-grossing PPV fights of all time.

Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao – 2015

Billed as the Fight of the Century, the clash between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas generated 4.6 million PPV buys.

However, the fight did not live up to expectations, with both boxers failing to replicate the form they had shown during their prime.

Mayweather won by a unanimous 116-112, 116-112, 118-110 decision, but most boxing fans were left wondering what the fuss had been about.

Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor – 2017

After months of verbal sparring between the pair, Mayweather and Conor McGregor agreed to put their reputations on the line in Nevada.

McGregor had previously made his name in mixed martial arts and set records for PPV sales and demand for UFC streams, and signed a deal to go toe-to-toe with Mayweather in the boxing ring.

A staggering 4.3m people subscribed to the event, which Mayweather comfortably won by technical knockout in the tenth round.

Floyd Mayweather vs Oscar De La Hoya – 2007

When Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya met in Las Vegas in 2007, a then-record $136m in revenue was generated by the PPV.

The eagerly anticipated fight was contested at 154 pounds, with De La Hoya defending his WBC light middleweight championship.

Mayweather won by a split decision in 12 close rounds, taking his career record to 38-0 and cementing his status as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in history.

Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez – 2013

Mayweather’s meeting with Canelo Alvarez in September 2013 generated 2.2m PPVs, but it proved to be a rather underwhelming affair.

In a fight that many pundits thought was going to be his toughest, Mayweather gave the younger Alvarez a clinical boxing lesson.

He eventually claimed a 12-round majority decision, despite one of the judges inexplicably scoring the contest as a 114-114 draw.

Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield II – 1997

Just shy of two million people subscribed to the controversial second meeting between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield in 1997.

Holyfield had defeated Tyson a few months earlier, and ‘Iron Mike’ was desperate to regain his heavyweight title when they met in Las Vegas.

However, after Holyfield dominated proceedings, Tyson lost his cool before biting off part of his opponent’s ear. He was subsequently banned and stripped of his boxing license.