Tag Archives: buys

Posted on 09/28/2017

By: Sean Crose

*UPDATE*

Since the publishing of this article Golden Boy Promotions released the following statement:

While everyone at Golden Boy Promotions and GGG Promotions appreciate the media’s recognition that the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin was an enormous success, the figure that is being cited by some news outlets is simply inaccurate.

Not only are satellite operators and cable companies still in the process of compiling data, that number does not include online PPV sales through RingTV.com, Sony Play Station, and Sling TV which far exceeded any previous fight featuring Canelo or Golovkin. The bottom line is that we expect the final numbers to be well north of current reports, and we will make a decision on reporting those numbers when we know they are accurate.

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The Los Angeles Times is reporting that this month’s middleweight extravaganza between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin brought in 1.3 million pay per view buys. That’s a very impressive sum for any pay per view event, though some may be disappointed that the fight, which went down on September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, didn’t perform even more strongly on the pay per view front. Any number over a million when it comes to pay per view sales is indicative of a clear success, however. This is particularly true in the case of Canelo and the fighter known as GGG.

Photo Credit: USA Today

To begin with, neither individual speaks English well. That’s a serious PR issue for any boxer looking to crack through towards mainstream success in the United States, where English is the dominant language. The fact that Mexico’s Alvarez and Kazakhstan’s Golovkin managed to draw in as many viewers as they did speaks volumes to both their in-the-ring skill sets and their likable personalities. It can be fairly stated that each fighter is a man of few words. Yet Canelo, and particularly Golovkin, have emerged as pleasant on-air personalities once the fists stop flying. Rather than engaging in outrageous pre-fight theatrics, the two middleweights came across as mature professionals in the leadup to their bout. Call it the anti-MayMac affect.

Speaking of what was clearly the pop culture event of 2017, last month’s Mayweather-McGregor battle may have also had an impact on the pay per view performance of Canelo-GGG. Lots of money – LOTS of money – was coughed up for fans to watch Floyd and Conor throw down in what was essentially a one sided but entertaining affair. That bout, which reportedly came within a hair of breaking the all time pay per view record (set by Mayweather’s 2015 battle with Manny Pacquiao) had the potential to either draw attention to or take attention away from the Canelo-Golovkin battle. Yet it remains to be seen what kind of impact, if any, the August 26th blockbuster had on the September 16th card.

One thing most analysts and fans agree on, however, is the argument that Canelo and Golovkin put on a highly entertaining affair that, unlike Mayweather-McGregor, didn’t skimp on showcasing high level ring techniques. The match, which was declared a draw, instantly begged for a sequel, one which is apparently already in the works. That inevitable pay per view card should draw in quite a good number, itself. At the moment, it appears either May or September will be the date for Canelo-Golovkin II. Both months have major Mexican holidays and are the months Canelo traditionally likes to fight during.

Posted on 09/23/2016

About Those Canelo-Smith PPV Numbers
By: Sean Crose

The trustworthy L.A. Times reporter Lance Pugmire came out yesterday and announced to the world that last weekend’s WBO super welterweight title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Liam Smith did roughly 250-300 thousand pay per view buys. Needless to say, fan reaction was fierce online. Some decried the end of boxing altogether while new breeds – those fans whose interests lie in fighter salaries rather than in the fights themselves – battled furiously over things like the difference between foreign pay per views buys and American ones. Ultimately, though, it was hard for any rational person not to arrive at a pretty obvious conclusion:

Less than 300k pay per view buys is not a good thing when the supposed “new face of boxing” is involved. Sure, Canelo packed over 50 thousand fans into a stadium. Sure, he got hundreds of thousands of people to pay to see him fight a virtual unknown, both in persona and on television. No matter. The fact remains boxing’s biggest star (and Canelo is most certainly that) is bringing in far, far less pay per view business than the sport’s previous stars did not all that long ago.

Sure enough, the point that Canelo fought an opponent unfamiliar to North American fans is essentially a moot one – for it was the decision of Canelo and promoter Oscar De La Hoya to arrange a fight with an unknown commodity in the gutsy and likable Smith, rather than with someone who could have generated real interest. Just under 300 thousand pay per view buys against a virtual unknown isn’t a testament to Canelo’s drawing power so much as it’s a testament to fan’s unwillingness to be mistreated. For, in the end, Canelo-Smith wasn’t a bad matchup. It really wasn’t. The fight simply wasn’t meant for pay per view.

Moving forward, it seems Golden Boy, De La Hoya’s promotional outfit, has to face the fact that Canelo’s pay per view star will continue to dim so long as he avoids Golovkin. Fair or not, that’s simply the reality of the situation. De La Hoya may try to pull another rabbit out of his hat by having Canelo face the likes of Kell Brook or Manny Pacquiao before Golovkin, but pay per view numbers for those fights will not, in this author’s opinion, amount to blockbuster business. In other words, there’s only one way for Canelo to be the dominant pay per view star De La Hoya wants him to be – and that’s through GGG.

Of course, more time on HBO wouldn’t harm team Canelo. Just imagine the numbers if last week’s fight had been on pay cable rather than on pay per view. Fans feel like they’re being screwed at the moment because…they are. Fights like Canelo-Smith simply don’t belong on pay per view. The best way for team Canelo to earn some much needed good will at this point is to do the right thing. And it can start by not asking fans to pay for a product that isn’t worth the price.