LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor’s cross-combat superfight was the second richest boxing bout in history, long-awaited final figures revealed on Friday.
A statement from Showtime sports said the August fight between boxing star Mayweather and mixed martials arts king McGregor generated 4.3 million pay-per-view buys in North America.
Only one other fight – Mayweather’s 2015 bout with Manny Pacquiao – has ever drawn more, racking up 4.6 million buys to earn around $600 million.
The Mayweather-McGregor pay-per-view total is almost double the third biggest fight of all time, Oscar De La Hoya’s 2007 fight with Mayweather, which had 2.48 million buys.
Showtime said in a statement that global revenues, including ticket sales, sponsorship and international distribution, Mayweather and McGregor had exceeded $600 million.
“The pairing of Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor brought together two very significant and distinct global fan bases in one truly unprecedented event,” Showtime Sports chief Stephen Espinoza told ESPN.
“The remarkable results are all the more impressive considering that the planning, marketing and execution took place across a span of just 72 days from the initial announcement to fight night.”
The Mayweather-McGregor fight was widely dismissed as a circus before the bout, which was eventually won by Mayweather – returning from a two-year retirement – with a 10th round knockout.
Meanwhile Philippine boxing hero Pacquiao said last week he too was seeking his own showdown with McGregor, confirming he had opened talks with the Irishman to possibly fight in April.
