The highly anticipated match between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia lived up to the hype.
The fight was held last Saturday in Las Vegas and reportedly garnered around 1.2 million pay-per-view purchases in the U.S., according to sources cited by Fight Freaks Unite. This makes it the most-watched sanctioned bout since Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovin's first fight in 2017, which drew 1.3 million buys.
It's worth noting that the exhibition match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 still holds the record for the most purchases, with a reported 1.6 million.
In addition to the record-breaking pay-per-view numbers, the Davis-Garcia fight also generated an impressive $22.8 million live gate at T-Mobile Arena, with a crowd of 20,842 in attendance. This figure represents the largest live gate in Nevada since the Alvarez-Golovkin II match, which earned $24,473,500.
Both Davis and Garcia are immensely popular boxers, boasting large social media followings and attracting a massive audience for their fights.
“Although I can’t formally confirm the final numbers at this point, it is clear that Gervonta versus Ryan delivered a memorable knockout in the ring and at the box office and reinforces Showtime as the No. 1 network in boxing,” Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza said in a statement sent to Fight Freaks Unite.
“We knew this event was going to be special and that it had the potential to connect with an audience beyond the hardcore boxing fan. Tank and Ryan proved that when you match the best against the best, the sports world will turn out in support.”
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) stopped Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) with a body shot in Round 7 of their 136-pound fight.