Top 10 boxing PPVs of all time ranked with Mayweather Jr vs McGregor only second
The biggest selling boxing fights of all time have been ranked and there's two men who dominate the list.
Nine years after his final professional fight against former UFC champion Conor McGregor, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr is set to put his unbeaten record on the line once again this summer.
More than a decade after their first fight, Mayweather is finally set to face former foe Manny Pacquiao in a rematch in Las Vegas in September.
The fight, which will take place inside the Sphere, is expected to be the biggest of the year and will be broadcast to millions across the world on Netflix.
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Of course, leading the biggest fight of the year is no strange feat for either men, who both feature atop a list of the top 10 biggest boxing pay-per-views of all time.
Labelled as “The Fight of the Century”, Mayweather and Pacquiao's first meeting remains the most-watched boxing match of all time.
The rivals clash had been building up for years and, despite the fact that both boxers were past their respective primes by the time it happened, it drew in 4.6 million PPV buys.
Mayweather won the bout by unanimous decision, with the fight generating around $410million in revenue.
Although the fight is the only time that Pacquiao has made it into the top 10 most watched of all time, it's far from Mayweather's only appearance in the list, as the American takes up a spot in half of the top 10.
Second on the list, is Mayweather's August 2017 fight with former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor, which fell just slightly behind the Pacquiao fight with 4.3 million buys.
A massive pre-fight press tour and the heated war of words between the pair ensured that it was a success, with Mayweather later proving his class in the ring as he secured a 10th round TKO.
Overall, Mayweather was one half of all of each of the top four most-watched boxing matches of all time, with an average of 3.385 million PPV buys between them.
Bouts with Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez occupy third and fourth on the list, with his fight with Miguel Cotto sitting at the bottom of the top 10 with 1.5 million PPV buys.
Only one man features in the top 10 as much as Mayweather, Mike Tyson.
Like Mayweather, Tyson was one half of five of the top 10 biggest boxing fights of all time, with his reputation as the baddest man on the planet securing him massive viewership throughout his career.
Fights against Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones Jr and Peter McNeely occupy fifth to ninth on the list, with an average of 1.74 million PPV buys.
Even at 58-years-old, Tyson is bringing in big numbers as his recent fight with influencer boxer Jake Paul, which was also broadcast on Netflix, drawing in around 108 million global views.
It is worth noting that this fight, nor Mayweather's upcoming fight with Pacquiao will make the top 10 biggest boxing PPVs of all time as fans tuning in didn't need to purchase the fights, so long as they have active Netflix subscriptions.
Top 10 biggest boxing PPVs of all time
1) Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao (May 2, 2015) - 4.6 million PPV buys
2) Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor (August 26, 2017) – 4.3 million PPV buys
3) Floyd Mayweather vs Oscar De La Hoya (May 5, 2007) – 2.44 million PPV buys
4) Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez (September 14, 2013) – 2.2 million PPV buys
5) Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield II (June 28, 1997) – 1.99 million PPV buys
6) Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis (June 8, 2002) – 1.97 million PPV buys
7) Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. (November 28, 2020) – 1.6 million PPV buys
8) Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield I (November 9, 1996) – 1.59 million PPV buys
9) Mike Tyson vs Peter McNeely (August 19, 1995) – 1.55 million PPV buys
10) Floyd Mayweather vs Miguel Cotto (May 5, 2012) – 1.5 million PPV buys
Topics: Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson
Ben McCrum