Eubank vs Smith PPV Buys Range Revealed By Promoter Ben Shalom
Eubank vs Smith PPV Buys Over 200,000 Per BOXXER CEO
Liam Smith (33-3-1, 20 KOs) sensationally stopped Chris Eubank Jr (32-3, 23 KOs) in the fourth round when they met last month in Manchester. It was the first stoppage defeat for the man from Brighton, with the Liverpudlian an underdog going in.
Eubank Jr has a rematch clause and although it is not official, Eubank is expected to activate this contractual right triggering a second fight between the pair, eyed for the coming months; possibly at the 50,000+ capacity Anfield Stadium.
When asked about the PPV numbers, BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom stated that “It did very well. And I don’t know whether I can say or not, but it did very well.” Clearly, BOXXER/Sky seem to be happy with the numbers, especially considering this is the first Chris Eubank PPV in four years with the others being on ITV Box Office.
“(It) Began with a 2, and very, very high. For it to do that on the hardest weekend in January, in a fight that many people didn’t think was pay-per-view.” Shalom confirmed that the fight generated in excess of 200,000 PPV buys but did not reach 300k.
Eddie Hearn told Boxing King Media that he heard the number was in the ‘low 200s’.
The fight was considerably smaller than the previous bout Eubank Jr was supposed to participate in, a colossal catchweight clash with Conor Benn that truly captured the imagination of the wider public and was building to one of the biggest British fights in recent times until Benn’s adverse finding.
Furthermore, with the economic climate being what it is and staging the fight a month after Christmas, this seems to be a respectable number. The 20,000-capacity AO Arena in Manchester was completely sold out as well generating a 7-figure gate.