Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia achieved a rarity in the sport of boxing by boasting a box office equivalent to something only the great Mike Tyson previously managed.
Boxing’s sanctioning bodies could be running scared on the back of the massive success of the Davis vs Garcia Pay Per View.
Davis vs Garcia represented the first million-seller PPV since Mike Tyson vs Peter McNeeley in the mid-1990s to take place without a world title.
Highly anticipated, the Tyson fight would always be a financial success. Tyson vs McNeeley grossed close to one hundred million worldwide as ‘Iron Mike’ returned from four years out of the ring due to a three-year prison term.
Mike Tyson success
Tyson then recorded $63 million in Pay Per Venue when selling to 1.52 million American customers. Davis vs Garcia’s estimated 1.2 million sales shows both fighters generating almost $102 million.
This begs the question, do the most significant fights need world titles on the line? The current crop of the World Boxing Council [WBC], World Boxing Organization [WBO], International Boxing Federation [IBF], and the World Boxing Association [WBA] only seem to serve to put extra blocks in the way.
The heavyweight division highlights that situation as mandatories have halted an undisputed clash for a quarter of a century.
The simple fact is that Davis vs Garcia did almost double the Pay Per View sales that Canelo Alvarez versus Caleb Plant did despite the latter being for the undisputed titles.
Also, boxing has had several undisputed champions in the past five years. That’s more than at any other time in the sport’s history.
Yet, Jermell Charlo, Terence Crawford, and Oleksandr Usyk cannot sell vast amounts on Pay Per View. Even Canelo’s sales are not what they once were since he hooked up with DAZN.
Davis vs Garcia and the Mayweather Belt
Gervonta Davis has only won one world title despite being billed as a three-weight reigning world title holder. Of his three division victories, only one [super featherweight] was not a WBA ‘regular’ strap.
Therefore, in this day and age of social media, being a champion means less and less as the years go on.
Floyd Mayweather even wants to launch his own title that he believes will trump all the others.
“I want to have a sit down with the different boxing organizations. I want to tell them we must clean the sport of boxing up,” Mayweather The Fight Guys.
“If we can’t clean the sport of boxing up, then I think it is time for us to take boxing to the next level.
“That means it’s time for me to come out with my own belt. My own championship belt that trumps all titles. It trumps all the belts.
“It doesn’t matter who the [WBC, IBF, WBO or WBA] champion is because only one belt will count. And it’s the belt that I will come out with.”
At the present time, if any notable boxing figure came up with a title that is non-affiliated with any promoter, they could usher in a new era for the sport.
The current system is ripe for the pickings after Davis vs Garcia.
Top 5 Gate Receipts from Boxing Pay Per View fights
1 Mayweather vs Pacquiao – $72.2m
2 Mayweather vs McGregor – $55.5m
3 Canelo vs GGG I – $27m
4 Canelo vs GGG II – $24.5m
5 Davis vs Garcia – $22.8m
