Reportedly “disappointing” PPV purchased for Canelo-GGG 3 revealed
As detailed by veteran boxing reporter, Dan Rafael, The DAZN PPV for Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin’s three-part battle is said to have generated about half of the buys their second battle made.
When Canelo and Golovkin went head to head in 2017, 1.3 million people in the US watched via HBO’s pay-per-view channel. Their second meeting – stemming from a controversial decision in the first – reached the same 1.1 million people. This weekend in Las Vegas, the pair went head-to-head for the third time. The numbers were initially reported at 550,000 and 575,000, closing at the 600,000 mark.
The number, provided by Dan Rafael after consulting with multiple industry sources, will likely disappoint DAZN, who are still in the early stages of their PPV offering.
Primarily a subscription service, the price of DAZN for viewers is split between monthly subscribers and one-time purchases – $64.99 and $84.99 respectively. Rafael’s sources have indicated that about 200,000 of the total are unregistered.
With a reported guaranteed payout of $75 million for the two boxers, it’s fair to assume that the company is expecting higher audience numbers. In the build-up to the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn predicted that the fight could garner between 800,000 and 1 million buys.
Also of interest, if the numbers are to be verified, is that Canelo Álvarez is a free-spirited superstar and has great appeal to boxing fans. In fact, some say he is the biggest and best fighter in the world.
If his PPV performance for DAZN falls low, there could be a worry around how future wars above regular subscriptions perform. All eyes will now be on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn fight on October 8, which will follow a similar UK PPV pattern here. Hearn is confident in the possibility of a successful broadcast.
Canelo won and ended the contest with relative ease, fighting to come to a unanimous decision. After the bout, he called for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol following his recent loss to light heavyweight. Rafael points out that the May showdown sold 520,000 on the DAZN PPV, despite being set at a slightly lower price point.
As of writing, UK purchases have not been added to the equation and no official numbers have been released by the broadcaster. You can read Rafael’s full report here.