Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury Pay-Per-View Buys Crossed 300,000, Reports Say

Deontay Wilder's heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury over the weekend is tracking to be a pay-per-view success. The two unbeaten heavyweights collided for Wilder's World Boxing Council title at the Staples Center on Saturday night in what was one of the fights of the year.

The contest eventually went the distance as many believed Fury, who was taking part in just his third fight in over three years, had outclassed the American despite getting knocked down twice.

However, the judges would controversially score the fight as a split decision draw, with one judge even scoring the fight 115-110 in favor of Wilder.

Despite another huge boxing fight being marred by the scorecards of the judges, the fight was a big success and early pay-per-view estimates seem to indicate that as well.

According to Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger, the fight was tracking at over 300,000 pay-per-view buys with the break-even point being 250,000. He would later report that the actual number is looking to be north of 320,000 buys.

Meanwhile, the latest early estimates according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter are ranging from 310,000 to 320,000. That would mean in addition to the respective $4 million and $3 million purses Wilder and Fury took home, they could make as much as eight figures due to the added revenue.

However, while those numbers seem low, especially for a fight of this magnitude, it must be noted that those figures do not include digital sales or purchases on BT Sport Box Office in the United Kingdom — just Showtime pay-per-views ordered through traditional cable and satellite providers, as pointed out by BloodyElbow.com. In addition, the pay-per-view cost more than the regular prices at $74.99.

Another reason why it's a success is that it indicates a renewed interest in heavyweight boxing in the United States. Wilder is not as renowned as previous American champions such as Mike Tyson or Roy Jones Jr. but his stock and popularity have heavily increased in 2018.

Add along the role both he and Fury played in the buildup to the fight with loads of media work and a world tour of press conferences, things are looking promising, especially when it comes to a potential rematch.

"For context, the heavyweight division has largely been a PPV non-entity in the United States for more than a decade, largely due to a lack of high-end American talent in the division," Mookie Alexander of BloodyElbow.com wrote. "This figure would be the best US buyrate for a heavyweight boxing PPV since 525,000 buys for Roy Jones Jr over John Ruiz in 2003."

As for a rematch, Fury has now become the betting favorite with oddsmakers giving him -120 odds over the +100 Wilder. The Briton was notably the betting underdog going into the weekend's fight but his performance clearly made an impact.