The boxing world has seen some outrageous fights in 2023. There have already been notable boxing fights like Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney vs Vasiliy, Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron, and many more.
But the year isn't half over and there are plenty more nail-biting bouts rumoured to take place, including Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder and Shakur Stevenson vs Devin Haney that can break all box office PPV records.
The boxing scene has not only been lit up by professional boxers this year but by influencer boxers like KSI and Jake Paul. So, let's see which boxing fights have been the highest-selling PPVs in 2023.
#5. Gervonta Davis vs Hector Luis Garcia- 220,000 PPV Buys
With each passing fight, Gervonta Davis seems to increase his aura as the new face of boxing. He defended his WBA Lightweight title against Mexican boxer Hector Luis Garcia at the beginning of this year. The fight took place in Washington DC in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
With a rock-solid left hand, Gervonta Davis aka Tank ended the fight in the eighth round. Davis was hyped for this fight as a warm-up fight before his fight with Ryan Garcia and the overall hype turned into good numbers for DAZN. The fight generated 220k PPV buys.
#4. Canelo Alvarez vs John Ryder- 230,000 PPV Buys
Mexican boxer Canelo's name means business in the boxing world. The WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring super middleweight champion has achieved everything in the boxing arena and is considered one of the best fighters of the past decade.
In his hometown in Mexico, Canela defended all of his titles against John Ryder on May 6.
In this fight, Canelo returned to Mexico after 10 years, and it was dubbed 'The King is Coming Home'. Canelo won the fight easily by a unanimous decision. PPV numbers were expected to be huge, but they did not come true. The fight still generated 230,000 PPV buys, but they may not justify Canelo's popularity.
#3. KSI vs Faze Temperrr- 300,000 PPV Buys
The inclusion of KSI on this list doesn't come as a surprise since he has been at the forefront of influencer boxing for quite some time. While his boxing career may be short, his stature has been rising lately due to a massive fan following around the world. In January, KSI fought Faze Temperrr at Wembley Arena.
Although he was originally scheduled to fight Dillion Danis but he moved out, paving the way for Faze Temperrr. The fight ended in a flash as KSI thunderously knocked out Temperrr in the first round only. PPV sales for the fight totalled 300,000, a substantial number for influencer boxers.
#2. Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury- 800,000 PPV Buys
Another torchbearer of influencer boxing is Jake Paul, who fought professional boxer Tommy Fury in February after years of criticism for not fighting a real boxer.
Despite the fact that the duo had already been in negotiations for a long time and their fight had already been cancelled twice for various reasons, the fight was already hyped up before the announcement.
This fight was held in Saudi Arabia and both boxers came into the fight undefeated. Tommy Fury prevailed by unanimous decision and Jake Paul's fight was praised worldwide. The show generated 800,000 PPV purchases.
#1. Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia- 1,200,000 PPV Buys
After their fight was announced to take place in April, Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia was likely to make a big buzz because they are two of the biggest boxers of this generation. The two boxers had been chit-chatting and sledging on social media for years before this fight.
The fight was already anticipated to make big business, as both boxers were undefeated. The fight took place on 22nd April at T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.
Both boxers lived up to all expectations and put on a spectacle. Gervonta Davis won by knockout in the seventh round. From a business standpoint, the fight also met all expectations and sold more than 1 million pay-per-views.
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