1. Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz II – 1.6m buys
As well as breaking the record for total number of pay-per-view buys, Joshua vs. Ruiz II was priced at £24.95, a new high for Sky Sports Box Office, which meant it raked in even more money on the night. The fight was a bit of an anti-climax, but everybody went home rich.
2. Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko (2017) – 1.5m buys
Joshua’s coronation night at Wembley Stadium attracted 90,000 fans to the venue and encouraged a further 1.5 million people at home to vote with their remote. It ended up being a classic, too, with Joshua rising from the canvas to finish Klitschko in the eleventh round.
3. Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker (2018) – 1.45m buys
Though it didn’t produce the thrills and spills normally associated with Joshua fight nights, a WBA, IBF and WBO unification fight against New Zealander Joseph Parker was a battle of young, undefeated heavyweights with plenty at stake.
4. Floyd Mayweather vs Ricky Hatton (2007) – 1.15m buys
At the time, this 2007 super-fight between Mayweather and Hatton was the king of all UK pay-per-views. It had everything: Britain’s most popular fighter versus the world’s best fighter. Both were undefeated. Both were legitimate. It was Box Office in every sense of the word.
5. Wladimir Klitschko vs David Haye (2011) – 1.14m buys
The promise of a decapitation, or at least a knockout victory, had many following Haye into battle with Klitschko when the two met in a heavyweight unification in 2010. Sadly, though, Haye wasn’t able to produce when it mattered.
6. Tony Bellew vs David Haye II (2018) – 890,000 buys
Thanks to the bizarre nature of the pair’s first fight, plenty were interested in seeing Bellew and Haye renew acquaintances in 2018. The fight, however, was about as one-sided as Bellew could have hoped.
7. Anthony Joshua vs Carlos Takam (2017) – 887,000 buys
This 2017 heavyweight title fight was originally meant to feature Joshua against Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev, but Pulev pulled out through injury. His replacement, Takam, put up a good fight, pushing Joshua hard before being unfairly stopped on his feet in the tenth round.
8. Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquaio (2015) – 876,000 buys
This 2015 battle between the two biggest names in the sport promised a lot but delivered very little. In fact, save from one moment of Pacquiao success in the fourth round, it was essentially a sparring session for Mayweather, much to the disappointment of the millions who had invested in the storyline.
9. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor (2017) – 874,000 buys
Although this one was billed as a professional boxing match, that term should be used loosely. In truth, McGregor, making his pro debut, had no right sharing a ring with Mayweather and even less chance of winning. He was stopped in the tenth.
10. David Haye vs Tony Bellew (2017) – 775,000 buys
In the first installment of the rivalry nobody saw coming, former cruiserweight and heavyweight champion Haye injured his Achilles heel only to then somehow drag himself through round after round before eventually being stopped in the eleventh.
