At its height, boxing has been one of the most-watched sports worldwide. Marquee fights between superstars drove record viewership from pay-per-view purchases.

Today, boxing is increasingly relying on celebrities — and a proposed joint venture out of Saudi Arabia — to generate hype around the sport.

During boxing’s better days, star fighters like Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson could almost guarantee record viewership and attendance anytime they fought.

Both boxers dominate the list of the most-watched boxing matches ever.

Mayweather competed in five fights among the most-watched boxing matches, totaling 15.04 million PPV buys. Tyson has five fights featured, adding up to 8.7 million PPV buys.

The most-watched boxing match was the 2015 bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao which drew 4.6 million PPV buys.

“The Fight of the Century” had been brewing for years, but delayed several times due to breakdowns in contract negotiations. Once the fight finally materialized, both boxers were past their respective primes.

Mayweather won by unanimous decision and the fight generated $410 million in revenue. But it failed to live up to all the hype as fans were disappointed in a mostly defensive approach by Mayweather.

Second with 4.3 million PPV buys is Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor.

Both men had been going back and forth with words. But it wasn’t until Mayweather announced he would come out of retirement to fight McGregor that things became real.

Finally, a fight was set up for August of 2017. A three-day international press tour in July helped hype up the fight.

Mayweather was guaranteed a fight purse of at least $100 million and McGregor at least $30 million. Both men made substantially more as the fight became second only to Mayweather’s Pacquiao fight.

In the end, Mayweather showed he was a class above McGregor in the boxing ring and earned a win by TKO in the 10th round.

“Money” Mayweather participated in the top four most-watched boxing matches, averaging 3.385 million PPV buys between them.

Mike Tyson’s five fights among the most-watched boxing matches averaged 1.74 million PPV buys.

Ranking The Most Watched Boxing Matches

Here is the list of the top 10 most-watched boxing matches based on pay-per-view buys in the United States. The list was compiled using historical data from Planet Sport.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been the focus of media attention lately because of rumors surrounding his prolonged stay in Dubai. A lot of conjecture has been raised about his stay there. The most popular claims were those made by boxing matchmaker Rick Glaser and Mayweather’s protege Gervonta Davis. The two claimed that the fighter was being held in Dubai because of unpaid dues to the UAE authorities. But is it true?

Mayweather for his side never addressed the rumors directly. Except for a few indirect digs at Gervonta Davis, Money Mayweather continued to do his thing while rumor mills kept churning out more claims about the uncertainty of his return to the US. Now it seems, there have been advancements about his whereabouts and his current activities. With his recent Instagram story, it looks like ‘Money’ was planning something big and now the public would finally be able to see it.

Floyd Mayweather Plans an Exclusive Launch for His New Business Venture

In addition to his remarkable boxing prowess, the athlete is renowned for his remarkable business acumen and marketing skills. Mayweather Jr. has arranged a “Meet & Greet” and will be exclusively launching his two alcohol brands, ‘Good Money Whiskey’ and ‘Le Bon Argent Champagne’. He recently shared details about its exclusive launch on his Instagram story. On Friday, June 7th, it will be unveiled at the Eight Cigar Lounge in Las Vegas.

Mayweather has asserted that he has never consumed alcohol since he has witnessed athletes’ careers deteriorate as a result. However, he explained that he entered the alcohol business for logical reasons, and said, “Every adult wants to have something great to drink. And guess what? Together with my team, we developed and sourced the best exclusive products we could find to be offered to the public.” 

‘Good Money Whiskey’ will launch Canadian whiskies with the 5-year and 10-year-old editions. It emanates from caramelized orchard fruit and tropical fruits with spices and is said to be marketed as a regular-use whiskey. ‘Le Bon Argent Champagne’ on the other hand, has a Rose and Brut champagne edition with fruits sourced from Epernay, France.

This confirms that Mayweather was working on the official launch of his alcohol business. Will he find success considering there are many athletes and celebrities already part of the alcohol business? Mayweather’s former opponent, Conor McGregor, also owns an alcohol company as well, and he had something to say to Mayweather when the latter arrived in Dubai last year.

Conor McGregor comments on Floyd Mayweather’s alcohol post on Instagram   

The ‘Pretty Boy’ of boxing was in Dubai last year, and he posted a picture of himself on Instagram standing in front of a huge shelf with hundreds of bottles of alcohol neatly arranged behind him. He wrote in the caption of the image, “They always said I bought the most bottles but don’t drink.”

@properwhiskey and @forgedirishstout is at the top.” The UFC superstar owns the two brands and interestingly, his whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve, which debuted in 2018, brought in over $850 million within its first year of sales. His stout brand too is on the rise. With Mayweather officially taking on the alcohol industry with his own brand, it remains to be seen if he will be able to match the success he found in the boxing ring with his liquor brand, too.

What are your thoughts about Floyd Mayweather entering the alcohol business? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below

Floyd Mayweather Jr, wasn’t your average boxing prodigy. The Michigan native had a father and two uncles that tested the likes of all-time boxing greats and won world titles. Being around this caliber, training from a young age proved to be a winning recipe for the young Floyd, who was in the gym as early as two years of age. Mayweather took what he learned from his elders and spun it forward into the greatest boxing career of this era.

Undefeated in the ring and seemingly undefeated outside the ring with his financial decisions, Floyd Mayweather Jr is a representation of what most modern-day boxers strive to be like; winning world titles, making a boatload of money and getting out with all of their faculties intact. Here’s a look at why Mayweather is recognized as “The Best Ever” by many boxing pundits and boxing media members.

Profile

Born: Michigan, USA, Age: 46, Height: 5”8’, Weight: 146lb

As mentioned, Floyd Mayweather comes from a long lineage of boxing. Throwing hands, lacing up gloves and snuggling into headgear was second nature for Mayweather Jr. “Pretty boy” leaned heavily on the experiences his father and uncles faced long before he’d ever step into a ring.

Floyd cut his teeth as an amateur boxer that knocked on the door of Olympic greatness, but ultimately, Mayweather found his driving force when he turned Pro in 1997. Although Floyd had publicized issues with his father, he was able to find solace and love with his uncle Roger, who coached Floyd for a large portion of his professional boxing career.

Career earnings

From his first to last professional fight, Floyd’s fight purses jumped by 100,000%

Being a student of the game inside the ring takes decades of mastery. The science behind boxing is what makes the sport so attractive to purists. It’s hard enough to win one world title, let alone multiple, but to be a world champion while also becoming a global superstar with superior brand building is exquisite.

Mayweather Jr’s showmanship side to his presentation hit a new level during the promotion of his bout against Arturo Gatti, where his trash talk drew in noticeably large viewership numbers. Mayweather found his way to drive dollars up through fight promotion as well as tax-efficient locations. Smartly, “Money” fought his last 15 fights in a row in Las Vegas, Nevada, a state that has zero income tax. Again, Mayweather sees every move on the chess board.

According to SportsKeeda.com, Mayweather Jr is worth $450 million. The money that Mayweather Jr garnered as his villainous promotional style was turned up was truly amazing. Also, Mayweather’s brand proved its value by not just being a tale of a few fights but by being a business that has generated generational wealth.

Per Forbes, Mayweather is the richest athlete of the last decade. By bringing in over $900 million and more than $100 million more than the second-richest athlete, Cristiano Ronaldo. Futbol is the most viewed sport worldwide, but boxing greats like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Mayweather Jr made boxing appointments on television.

The Mayweather lineage

Floyd Mayweather comes from a long boxing lineage

Floyd Mayweather recently posted on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself enjoying the Dubai coastline.

He had previously shared the same image, but this time, he added a headline: “BREAKING NEWS FLOYD MAYWEATHER STUCK IN DUBAI,” taking a playful jab at Gervonta Davis‘ earlier allegations

Initially, it was Davis who claimed that Mayweather was being detained in Dubai over unpaid debts. Boxing insider Rick Glaser supported these claims, saying Mayweather’s non-payment issues were preventing him from leaving the UAE. However, these reports were later debunked.

Shortly after Davis‘s assertions, stories circulated about Mayweather donating $30,000 to a homeless man in downtown LA before Game 5.

This act of kindness contradicted the narrative that he was in trouble with Dubai’s authorities. The former five-division champion then turned the tables on Davis, using his own words to mock him.

An ongoing feud

Mayweather and Davis used to have a strong relationship, often publicly praising each other. However, their friendship has since deteriorated.

Recently, Mayweather spread a rumor by announcing that Davis’s upcoming fight with Frank Martin had been canceled, posting an image of the event poster marked “canceled.”

Davis did not take kindly to this, responding with a now-deleted post filled with frustration and anger.

“This ni**a such a hater…he said some sh*t cancel, and that’s not true! NI**A THIS MY SH*IT NOW! Keep talking, and I’ll pull up to ya house now and lay hands on you and some other sh*t!” Davis noted.

Jake Paul issues a shocking new warning to Mike Tyson before fighting Mike Perry

Jake Paul‘s 2024 is either going to be a smashing success — or a colossal flop. In a few days, boxing fans might know for sure, one way or the other.

Paul was set to fight former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on July 20 — but that bout has been pushed back to November, owing to Tyson‘s ulcer flare-up in May. Instead, Paul is set to battle bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Saturday. If that bout goes well, it is full speed ahead for the Tyson fight on Nov. 15. But if it doesn’t go well for Paul…all bets might just be off

Paul: If I don’t beat Perry…

Paul seems to be keenly aware of the gamble he is making by fighting Perry — who has developed a reputation as one of the world’s fiercest bare-knuckle fighters through his UFC exploits. And although his focus is firmly on Perry, Paul understands that he is putting himself in some danger ahead of receiving the biggest paycheck in his life this November.

“A lot of people think I’m crazy for pivoting to this; why Mike Perry, why now, why take the risk, you could lose the biggest payday of your life against Mike Tyson if you lose to Mike Perry who is a violent killer, a bare-knuckle, undefeated legend over there,” Paul told DAZN in a new interview.

Paul has told DAZN and ESPN‘s “Pat McAfee Show” the same thing: if he loses to Perry, the Tyson fight isn’t going to happen.

“This whole entire thing is a giant risk,” Paul said. “I’m focused on July 20, I’m focused on Mike Perry and just being in that mindset is what will lead me to victory.

So why is Paul choosing to fight Perry, who boasts a perfect 5-0 record as a bare-knuckle fighter? One word: showmanship.

“I need the experience, I need to stay active. I fear no man, I’m ready anytime, any place, anyone, and I truly back that up with my action,” Paul explained to DAZN. “It’s not something I just say walking around. I’m just down to f***ing fight and I love performing.”

Paul understands the bet he’s making, and how easily it could backfire and set his boxing career back. The former YouTube star is going forward with it anyway, and it remains to be seen whether he can ward off Perry‘s challenge on Saturday night

Floyd Mayweather Jr is one of the greatest boxers in history. His scientific approach to boxing and what it means to stay at the top for decades on end will be studied for many years ahead. Mayweather is looked at as an icon in the sport and whether it’s in the gym or sitting ringside, “The Best Ever” is not shy about expressing how he feels about technique, business or particular relationships. And right now, Floyd has an ax to grind with one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Following a spectacular win for Gervonta Davis, who used to be mentored by the 50-0 boxer, a strategized release of old footage of a young Davis and Devin Haney sparring was released by Mayweather. The timing of the release is designed to put Davis in a bad light as Mayweather is no longer coy with the young knockout artist after they parted their separate ways. Davis drove a stake into the relationship by calling Mayweather a “fraud” in the post-fight presser. “Money” Mayweather’s response has gone viral.

Floyd Mayweather Spiteful Towards Gervonta Davis

Mayweather held onto the footage for years before finally unveiling it to the world yesterday

The release of the footage is a big boost to the profile of Haney, who is coming off the first loss of his career and a loss that stings a bit worse as it came from combat sport’s biggest troll, Ryan Garcia. For Haney to go about 20 minutes with Gervonta Davis and not only hold his own, but to be the hammer in the session, lifts his stock at least a notch or two.

Another interesting angle to this situation is that Mayweather and Bill Haney (Devin’s father) didn’t seem so cordial following his son’s loss. The two were on a podcast together and the tension was felt. So for Mayweather to post this video that helps the Haney family, it shows just how much disdain he must have for Davis.

Boxing Sparring Culture

It’s known that high-level boxing sparring sessions are closer to fights

Since sanctioned boxing events became prevalent, sparring sessions – a necessary evil required to give a fighter a realistic simulation of an actual fight – are not only quintessential to preparing an athlete, but can turn into folklore. Muhammad Ali had legendary sparring rounds when he isolated himself away from the public and trained in the mountains for weeks at a time.

Fast-forward to modern times and technology, we often get a look into elite boxers in-gym rounds because everyone has a phone to capture unflattering footage that could be used down the road. Posting rounds that were thought to be classified obviously breaks an unwritten rule in combat sports. When tempers flare and boundaries are crossed, little restraint will be used in these situations. Mayweather and Davis may cross paths in the future if it involves the all mighty dollar, but for now, the ex-stablemates are at odds with one another.

Floyd Mayweather Jr is one of the greatest boxers in history. His scientific approach to boxing and what it means to stay at the top for decades on end will be studied for many years ahead. Mayweather is looked at as an icon in the sport and whether it’s in the gym or sitting ringside, “The Best Ever” is not shy about expressing how he feels about technique, business or particular relationships. And right now, Floyd has an ax to grind with one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Following a spectacular win for Gervonta Davis, who used to be mentored by the 50-0 boxer, a strategized release of old footage of a young Davis and Devin Haney sparring was released by Mayweather. The timing of the release is designed to put Davis in a bad light as Mayweather is no longer coy with the young knockout artist after they parted their separate ways. Davis drove a stake into the relationship by calling Mayweather a “fraud” in the post-fight presser. “Money” Mayweather’s response has gone viral.

Floyd Mayweather Spiteful Towards Gervonta Davis

Mayweather held onto the footage for years before finally unveiling it to the world yesterday

The release of the footage is a big boost to the profile of Haney, who is coming off the first loss of his career and a loss that stings a bit worse as it came from combat sport’s biggest troll, Ryan Garcia. For Haney to go about 20 minutes with Gervonta Davis and not only hold his own, but to be the hammer in the session, lifts his stock at least a notch or two.

Another interesting angle to this situation is that Mayweather and Bill Haney (Devin’s father) didn’t seem so cordial following his son’s loss. The two were on a podcast together and the tension was felt. So for Mayweather to post this video that helps the Haney family, it shows just how much disdain he must have for Davis.

Boxing Sparring Culture

It’s known that high-level boxing sparring sessions are closer to fights

Since sanctioned boxing events became prevalent, sparring sessions – a necessary evil required to give a fighter a realistic simulation of an actual fight – are not only quintessential to preparing an athlete, but can turn into folklore. Muhammad Ali had legendary sparring rounds when he isolated himself away from the public and trained in the mountains for weeks at a time.

Fast-forward to modern times and technology, we often get a look into elite boxers in-gym rounds because everyone has a phone to capture unflattering footage that could be used down the road. Posting rounds that were thought to be classified obviously breaks an unwritten rule in combat sports. When tempers flare and boundaries are crossed, little restraint will be used in these situations. Mayweather and Davis may cross paths in the future if it involves the all mighty dollar, but for now, the ex-stablemates are at odds with one another.

Miguel Cotto had a thrilling 47-fight career over the span of 16 years and faced some of the biggest names in the sport, not least Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

The four-weight world champion had 14 successful title defences during his campaign, but would lose belts to both of the Hall of Famers mentioned above.

Pacquiao snatched the WBO Welterweight World Title from Cotto in 2009, stopping him with less than a minute to go on the clock. The huge-selling box office bout prompted veteran promoter Bob Arum to brand Pacquiao ‘the best fighter’ he had ever seen – high praise considering he worked with Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

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Three years later, Cotto was relieved of his WBA super-welterweight belt by Mayweather via unanimous decision.

In a feature with The Ring Magazine, the Puerto Rican star ranked opponents throughout his career in various categories.

While he gave the nod to Pacquiao when it comes to best footwork, saying it was ‘very difficult to hit’ the Filipino fighter, he said the smartest, most-skilled and best overall fighter was Mayweather.

“He was so slippery in every moment of the fight. It was so difficult to get to him.

No doubt, Floyd Mayweather [was the smartest]. You can catch him with one good shot, but it is so hard to catch him twice that it makes me believe he is the smartest one.

Boxing and fundamentals, I would say Mayweather. The difficulty with Mayweather is that he’s so hard to catch him twice with the same mistake. He had very good skills. He had all the shots.

[Floyd] was smarter than everyone else. He was a really good boxer. He did everything about as well as anybody.”

Mayweather and Pacquiao would of course pit their skills against one another in 2015. Mayweather won on all three scorecards, but most feel the rivalry would have been better represented had it happened half a decade prior.

Floyd Mayweather Jr is widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time and has the resume to back that claim up, as the Michigan native has worked tirelessly to perfect his craft and keep his perfect record of 50-0 unblemished throughout his career. Though he is boxing nowadays just for the money, against opponents with name value as opposed to building a legacy of career boxers, what he has accomplished over the past few decades may never be seen again.

Every fight fan remembers the biggest moments of their favourite fighter’s career. While Mayweather Jr has a long list of wins under his belt, there are a few that stand out above the rest. Here are the 10 best wins of Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s career – ranked.

Besides having an all-time series of fights against Manny Pacquiao, Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez battled against some of the best boxers of his generation, including Mayweather Jr. Their meeting came right in the middle of “Money” Mayweather Jr’s obliteration of all challengers. Coming off of an extended hiatus, Mayweather Jr’s return against a dangerous opponent sparked large viewership numbers. Marquez had limited success against his adversary. He tried to stick to his game plan, but after frustration set in, the Mexican fighter tried the different approach of throwing caution to the wind. This played beautifully into Mayweather Jr’s counter-punching that enabled him to win by a large disparity and reminded the competition that he was still king.

While the most memorable moment of the Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz fight was the illegal headbutt by the latter, this fight was instrumental in proving that age is just a number for the pound-for-pound king. During this established point in his career, Mayweather Jr, 34, was a master at cultivating fans to tune into his fights in hope of his demise. Regardless of his age, Mayweather Jr looked technically sound and was asserting his will routinely. He looked a step or two ahead of his younger counterpart. By frustrating the young Mexican boxer purely out of execution of a game plan, Ortiz lashed out with a cheap shot. The younger Ortiz was mighty and strong, but let his emotions get the better of him. In the midst of the chaos, Mayweather Jr capitalised on the moment by knocking out an apologetic and unprotected Ortiz to remain champion.

At the time, Shane Mosley was the number three ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and had a tough test in front of him against Mayweather Jr. Mosley had several big-time wins on his record, lost to a few elite fighters as well, but really looked sharp early on versus Mayweather Jr. In an extremely rare circumstance, Mayweather Jr’s button was severely pinged by Mosley in the second round to buckle the undefeated champion and put him on stilts. However, what makes Floyd so special is his ability to stay composed under duress. Mayweather Jr stayed on the course to win the rest of the fight by a large margin.

After another round of failed negotiations with the great Manny Pacquiao, Team Money Mayweather turned their attention to a different opponent, a former world champion Miguel Cotto. Cotto faced and beat some of the sport’s most elite boxers, and he would’ve loved to have nothing more than to tally a “1” in Mayweather Jr’s career loss column. Cotto came out with a pressuring offensive style to counter the Michigan native’s elusiveness. Mayweather Jr responded by mixing up light and heavy shots that landed around the guard of Cotto to ultimately turn the tables of the fight in the later rounds. Though the fight went all 12 rounds, Mayweather Jr nearly finished Cotto, but the tough Rhode Island native respectably hung on. It was another dominant performance for “Money” Mayweather Jr.

One of the biggest wins of Mayweather Jr’s career came when he took on Zab Judah for the IBF and IBO welterweight championship belts. However, during the fight, Judah, like a handful of Mayweather Jr’s opponents, tried to bully the more talented boxer with unnecessary – and sometimes illegal – physicality. Floyd refused to be big brothered by Judah, and responded with even more swiftness and skill. When Judah could not outbox Mayweather Jr, he turned to foul play. In the 10th round with Mayweather Jr up on the scorecards, Judah landed a blatant low blow followed by a punch to the back of Floyd’s head. This resulted in Roger Mayweather rushing into the ring to confront Judah and to protect his fighter. A scrum broke out, but the tension would eventually subside, and Mayweather Jr would go on to win the fight.