Crawford-Spence Draws Around 650,000 PPV Buys

In what was billed as the most succulent matchup of the year, last Saturday's Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. super-fight generated around 650,000 pay-per-view buys.

The bout also amassed a gate of over $20 million at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, reports Dan Rafael.

The fighters each earned at least $25 million for what turned out to be a one-sided throbbing at the hands of Crawford, whom referee Harvey Dock declared victorious after a merciful stoppage in the 9th round.

Though the buzz is in swiftly declaring the sales a win or loss, it's not so simple. Pay-per-view sales must be put into context, compared to previous fights of equal magnitude.

And therein lies the challenge.

Crawford and Spence entered the fight undefeated, with the prestigious pound-for-pound label on the line. Still, neither fighter was able to generate the mainstream attention of previous boxers in their position atop the sport.

In boxing circles, Crawford-Spence was the most-hyped bout since Mayweather-Pacquiao in 2015. But that was a feeling in boxing circles only.

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao were celebrity-adjacent figures, topics on Today and GMA. Their record of 4.6 million buys is likely to never be topped. (Mayweather-McGregor came close in 2017 at 4.3 million, the second highest on record.) Spence-Crawford barely cracked the rundown across sports talk television.

The Q-ratings of Crawford and Spence also lagged behind Canelo Álvarez and. Gennady Golovkin, who face off in 2017 in front of 1.3 million pay-per-views.

Crawford-Spence edged Wilder-Fury 1 at 320,000 and the trilogy fight (the best fight of the decade) at 600,000. Wilder-Fury 1 drew around 850,000 buys, behind an aggressive push from ESPN and Fox Sports which co-aired the event.

Skeptics will knock the sales of Crawford-Spence in comparison to Gervonta Davis’ knockout of Ryan Garcia, a fight that accumulated 1.2 million buys last April. The comparison is understandable. Davis-Garcia aired on Showtime PPV with the same backing. Davis-Garcia was also a battle of the unbeaten.

However, Garcia is a social media star with over 10 million Instagram followers. Thus, Davis-Garcia appealed to demographics less likely to appreciate the status and excellence of a Terence Crawford.

Like ratings, pay-per-views buys can be spun in any which direction. And they will be. You can bank on that.

The "Boxing is Dead" crowd will scoff at a mega fight failing to near a million buys. Others will say the 650,000 for a niche sport at $84.99 a piece proves boxing is still a lucrative venture.

Both claims will have merit.

Either way, it is unfortunate that a fighter as great as Crawford leaves the buys totals up for interpretation. Crawford is an all-time great fighter. He affirmed so on Saturday.

Crawford is the best all-around boxer since Floyd Mayweather. But unlike Mayweather, his style is aesthetically pleasing.

Crawford is as cerebral as he is brutal. He leaves his opponents as perplexed as he does bloody.

In a previous era, when boxing was larger and less fragmented across various networks, Crawford would be a pay-per-view draw, no matter his opponent.

But in 2023, drawing power warrants a social media influencer-type approach, perhaps a scandal, and superb mic skills.

Meanwhile, Crawford is a quiet-mannered, self-admitted overachiever from Omaha, Nebraska with a diastema.

TERENCE CRAWFORD IS THE FIGHTER CASUAL BOXING FANS NEEDED | BOBBY BURACK

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Bobby Burack is a writer for OutKick where he reports and analyzes the latest topics in media, culture, sports, and politics.. Burack has become a prominent voice in media and has been featured on several shows across OutKick and industry related podcasts and radio stations.