The hype surrounding the low-level eight rounder between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury was huge, and that’s reflecting well in the numbers according to the American.
Fury fought to a split decision victory in Saudi Arabia, delivering on his promise to beat Paul despite suffering a knockdown in the final round.
The card saw some local talent as well as a WBC Cruiserweight Championship fight in which Badou Jack dethroned Ilunga Makabu to take the title.
In attendance were the likes of Tyson Fury, Devin Haney, Deontay Wilder, Mike Tyson and Cristiano Ronaldo, and the event was broadcast on ESPN+ in the States at a price point of $49.99 and BT Sport Box Office in the UK for £19.95.
The show took place on a Sunday, with the main card starting at 2PM Eastern Time in the US and 7PM in England.
On his podcast following the defeat, Paul – who co-promoted the show under his MVP banner – revealed that the business side of things was good.
“The silver lining is that the pay-per-views are off the f***ing charts. Probably going to be the biggest fight of the year. It’s gonna be hard to contend with. Maybe Garcia and Davis.”
“It’s probably coming in like over half a million buys, but still totalling everything. So the business is great.”
It’s assumed Paul refers to just the US purchases, however fans may be waiting a while for confirmation of this as well as a final number.
The American now faces a tough decision in terms of his fighting career, as he was open about not belonging in the professional ring should he be beaten by Fury.
Whilst other high profile fights are out there and likely always will be, he’s stated his intentions to exercise a rematch clause and face ‘TNT’ once more.
For a man who wants to be considered a professional boxer and with dreams – however unlikely – of becoming a world champion, a second fight seems the only option moving forward.