World Boxing News charts the Top Ten all-time Pay-Per-View sellers in the sport. Boxers like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have upped the ante, although based on sales alone, the original trailblazers belonged to the 1970s.
Mayweather and Pacquiao hold the joint record for the most buys in one event, whilst their 2015 offering is also the most lucrative of all time.
If you take inflation into account, though, ‘MayPac I’ only comes in at number fifteen on the historical list of money fights.
Muhammad Ali is the king of PPV, with ‘The Greatest’ taking up ten spots in the Top twenty headliners.
During the 1960s and 70s, Ali regularly commanded massive sales worldwide to watch his bouts. The sport was it the height of its powers back then.
This continued until the 1980s and 1990s, although the scale of mass buys was curtailed due to TV rights changes.
Ali’s rivals Joe Frazier and George Foreman make up the top three dominance from that era.
Floyd Mayweather comes in a number four, with career rival Manny Pacquiao at five. Mayweather earned almost one billion dollars over the last decade thanks to inflation of value.
The likes of 90s icons Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, and Evander Holyfield are next. UFC star Conor McGregor makes the list in between due to one solitary professional bout.
Anthony Joshua, the top UK earner, makes the top ten in the final spot.
Top 10 Boxers
(All-Time PPV/Closed Circuit sales combined):
1/ Muhammad Ali – 162.944m (1963-1985)
2/ Joe Frazier 100.5m (1965–1981)
3/ George Foreman 52m (1974–1993)
4/ Floyd Mayweather Jr. 29.09m (2005–2017)
5/ Manny Pacquiao 22.214m (2005–2019)
6/ Mike Tyson 19.1m (1988–2005)
7/ Oscar De La Hoya 14.140m (1995–2008)
8/ Conor McGregor 13,675m (2008–2018 – UFC/Boxing)
9/ Evander Holyfield 12.72m (1984–2003)
10/ Anthony Joshua 10.476m (2015–2019)
TOP 20 most lucrative fights
(with inflation):
*Yellow = Record breaker
| Date | Fight | Buys | Revenue | Revenue (inflation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
October 30, 1974 |
Ali vs Foreman |
3,000,000 |
$60,000,000 |
$310,000,000 |
October 1, 1975 |
Ali vs Frazier III |
3,000,000 |
$60,000,000 |
$300,000,000 |
March 8, 1971 |
Ali vs Fazier I |
2,500,000 |
$45,000,000 |
$284,000,000 |
September 27, 1976 |
Ali vs Norton III |
1,500,000 |
$30,000,000 |
$130,000,000 |
April 6, 1987 |
Leonard vs Hagler |
3,000,000 |
$40,000,000 |
$90,020,000 |
June 27, 1988 |
Tyson vs Spinks |
800,000 |
$32,000,000 |
$69,180,000 |
Jun 20, 1980 |
Duran vs Leonard |
1,500,000 |
$22,000,000 |
$68,270,000 |
June 11, 1982 |
Holmes vs Cooney |
2,000,000 |
$20,000,000 |
$52,990,000 |
February 25, 1964 |
Ali vs Liston |
700,000 |
$5,000,000 |
$41,200,000 |
July 22, 1963 |
Patterson vs Liston II |
563,000 |
$4,747,690 |
$40,130,000 |
May 25, 1965 |
Ali vs Liston II |
630,000 |
$4,300,000 |
$34,890,000 |
November 22, 1965 |
Ali vs Patterson |
500,000 |
$4,000,000 |
$32,500,000 |
February 6, 1967 |
Ali vs Terrell |
800,000 |
$4,000,000 |
$31,520,000 |
November 14, 1966 |
Ali vs Williams |
500,000 |
$3,750,000 |
$30,420,000 |
May 2, 2015 |
Mayweather vs Pacquiao |
173,000 |
$25,900,000 |
$27,940,000 |
September 25, 1962 |
Patterson vs Liston |
600,000 |
$3,200,000 |
$27,050,000 |
June 20, 1960 |
Patterson vs Johannson II |
500,000 |
$3,000,000 |
$25,930,000 |
April 15, 1985 |
Hagler vs Hearns |
700,000 |
$10,500,000 |
$24,960,000 |
October 26, 1970 |
Ali vs Quarry |
630,000 |
$3,500,000 |
$23,040,000 |
March 13, 1961 |
Patterson vs Johannson III |
500,000 |
$2,500,000 |
$21,390,000 |
