The biggest fight in combat sports history is in the books, and it’s not just Floyd Mayweather’s 10th round victory that everyone is talking about – because the viewing figures are pretty staggering too.
But we aren’t talking about the paying audience; we’re talking about the ones who streamed it illegally. As reported by Forbes, it’s believed that a total in excess of 3 million people decided against paying for the fight, with there being more than 230 illegal streams to be found across the internet.
It’s hardly surprising given the pricing involved, with fans over in the States being forced to fork out $100 in order to watch it. Things were a little bit more reasonable in the UK with fight fans having to pay just £20, but in total the figures left a lot of people choosing against watching via pay per view.
Several issues with PPV providers failing on the night of the fight could’ve have helped matters either, with a lot of viewers then deciding to take to the internet in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of Floyd and Conor squaring off.
Given the numbers involved this latest development makes it seem unlikely that Mayweather vs McGregor will break the numbers set by Mayweather vs Pacquiao, further proving that perhaps this gamble by Showtime and the UFC didn’t pay off.
A lot of boxing purists will be extremely happy to see that things didn’t quite pan out for MayMac, with the upcoming GGG vs Canelo fight generating a great deal of interest in comparison to the ‘money fight’ that we witnessed on Saturday night.
Regardless of your allegiance, though, nobody can deny that it was a spectacle and it was probably the last we’ll see of the legendary Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring. With that being said the outrageous prices almost certainly contributed to all of the illegal streaming, which could affect how Mayweather Promotions and Showtime organise their pricing for big time bouts moving forward.
Conor, on the other hand, appears set to return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship with several contenders vying for a shot at the Notorious One. In terms of financial gain all signs point towards the Irishman finishing off his trilogy with Nate Diaz, despite the fact that many would prefer to see the Khabib Nurmagomedov showdown.
Either way we’ll be talking about the fall-out from this fight for many years to come, as both men continue to forge their legacies in their respective sports.
