Biggest Money Boxing Events in History
There is no doubt that boxing has long been a sport that has managed to attract an eye-watering amount of money, but some fights have really set the bar even higher still. This has happened in a big way with the rise of celebrity boxing matches from the likes of YouTubers like Logan and Jake Paul and KSI. So, let’s take a look at some of the biggest money fights in boxing history.
Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor
Floyd Mayweather finished off his professional career with a 50th win against UFC fighter Conor McGregor. This was arguably the big fight that started the whole ‘celebrity boxing’ trend of recent years, which has certainly been highly profitable. Just take a look at this interview of Mark Coleman for more on this. Indeed, the McGregor/Mayweather fight was even billed the ‘Money Fight’. For this one fight, Mayweather is said to have earned £223.5m!
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao
Preceding the McGregor fight, Mayweather took on another of the great boxers of the age, Manny Pacquiao. While some said that this fight took too long to arrange and both were already past their prime, there is no doubt that the money generated from the ‘Fight of the Century’ was huge. Tickets started at $1,500, which gives you a flavor of just how much money it managed to generate! In the end, the fight was something of an anti-climax.
Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson II
While there are certainly a couple more Mayweather fights that could have been included on the list above this one, there is also no doubt that the Holyfield/Tyson second fight was a huge money-spinner that is worth looking at in closer detail. Most people will remember from this fight the unbelievable scenes of Tyson biting off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear, which caused the disqualification of the great fighter. Tyson had already lost the first version of their fight and arguably knew that he was destined to lose the second, which is why he decided to take such incredible measures!
Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson
The 90s and early 00s were another golden age of heavyweight boxing and produced such legends as Tyson and Lennox Lewis. By the time it came round to this fight, it was 2002, and Tyson was arguably already past his best. In the end, the British fighter came through with a routine victory, but there is no doubt that it was a highly profitable fight for everybody involved.
With YouTubers and other celebrities now showing a huge level of interest in boxing, there is every chance that there will be plenty more profitable fights coming up in the near future. The big fights continue to attract a huge pay-per-view audience, as well as ticket sales for people who are desperate to say that they were there. Also, there is a much bigger crossover between disciplines, with audiences from one getting interested in the other and vice-versa.
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