Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia was suitably branded as one of, if not the, biggest fights that 2023 would see – and that has translated into the pay-pew-view sales.
The 136lb catchweight contest saw both fighters put their undefeated records on the line for a shot at skyrocketing their already huge profiles.
It was ‘Tank’ Davis who came out the other side better off, having knocked Garcia down in the second before ending proceedings with a body shot five rounds later.
The event was a co-promotion between PBC, representing ‘Tank’, and Golden Boy, representing Ryan. Both of their broadcast partners therefore had a slice of the pie – a very rare occurrence in boxing.
Showtime produced the event and made it available via PPV for $84.99, whilst DAZN also offered it on their box office platform at the cheaper price of $60 for their subscribers.
Boxing Scene columnist, Keith Idec, has now reported that the event generated over 1.2 million buys across all available platforms in the US.
Been told that the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia fight generated just over 1.2 million PPV buys across all platforms, much more than most insiders projected. Ticket revenue was approximately $22.8 million, making it the fifth-largest gate for boxing in Nevada history. #DavisGarcia
— Keith Idec (@Idecboxing) April 26, 2023
It didn’t quite break Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweathers’ number of 2.4 million households – De La Hoya predicted it would – but it’s fitting that those two former fighters mentored these young stars to the point of being the main characters in one of the most financially successful events in the sport’s recent history.
Davis announced himself as ‘the face of boxing’ post-fight, and it’s a hard point to argue now that the numbers have come to light.
He’s now expected to pursue the top 135lb-ers in the world, and will have a close eye on undisputed champion, Devin Haney, when he faces Vasiliy Lomachenko on May 20.
As for Garcia, he was humble in defeat, and told reporters that we would now seek to move up to 140lb to challenge the best contenders there.