The rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin on Sept. 15 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas sold approximately 1.1 million pay-per-view buys, multiple industry sources have told ESPN.
That means the fight, a razor-close majority decision victory for Alvarez (50-1-2, 34 KOs) to lift the unified middleweight world title from Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs), generated at least $94 million in domestic linear television sales for the HBO PPV telecast, which had a suggested retail price of $84.95 but had a higher price in most markets for those who ordered in high definition.
The pay-per-view figure was less than the first fight, a massively controversial draw last September, which generated about 1.3 million buys. However, the rematch generated more pay-per-view money because of the higher price of the telecast.
Golden Boy Promotions declined to discuss the figures. HBO cannot release pay-per-view figures without the consent of the lead promoter of the event.
“We will not be releasing overall figures for the fight, but between a terrific gate, a very successful linear (television) pay-per-view buy rate and an explosion in digital pay-per-view sales, Canelo-Golovkin II was a more successful event than its predecessor,” Golden Boy said in a statement given to ESPN.
Golden Boy officials said that pay-per-view sales via streaming services was 25 percent more than last year’s fight. Additional money was also generated via closed circuit television sales, tickets to see the fight in more than 450 movie theaters around the United States, international television sales, sponsorship deals and fight merchandise.
The live gate figures were released on Monday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the fight notched the fourth biggest in boxing and Nevada history. The fight generated $23,473,500 from the sale of 16,732 tickets at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The promoters gave away 1,451 complimentary tickets, according to the commission report.
The gate figure for Alvarez-Golovkin II places it behind the first fight last September, also at T-Mobile Arena, which generated $27,059,850 in tickets sales.
The all-time biggest gate was the $72,198,500 for Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao in 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas followed by a gate of $55,414,865.79 for Mayweather-Conor McGregor in August 2017 at T-Mobile Arena.
Alvarez, the No. 1 pay-per-view attraction of the post Mayweather/Pacquiao era, has been involved in several pay-per-view events to sell at least 1 million units, including both Golovkin fights as well as bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mayweather. Alvarez’s victory over Miguel Cotto to win the middleweight title for the first time in 2015 did about 900,000 buys.