Gervonta Davis’ seventh round knockout of Ryan Garcia last Saturday sold 1.2 million pay-per-view buys, according to industry sources, significantly exceeding most projections. It was also watched by more than 20,000 people inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, meaning that Davis has attracted an average of more than 16,000 fans to his last eight fights. Clearly, the 28-year-old from Baltimore has become one of the biggest attractions in the game, and the amount of money generated at the gate for his showdown with Garcia only accentuated the rarefied atmosphere in which he now operates. Sports Business Journal report that ticket sales reached $22.8 million, placing the contest fifth on the all-time list of Las Vegas fights. Here is a look at the events that make up that Top 5:
T-Mobile Arena, April 22, 2023
$22.8 million
The T-Mobile Arena only opened its doors in 2016 and has to date held just 13 boxing events; already, however, four of those 13 are in the Top 5 Sin City boxing gates of all time. For boxing fans who abhor the proliferation of world titles, Davis vs Garcia was a purist’s delight: no sanctioning body belts were at stake – no titles at all, in fact. This was purely a battle for bragging rights between two young, charismatic, popular boxers in one of the first mega fights of the post-pandemic social media era. (Garcia boasts more than 10 million Instagram followers, Davis 5.5 million.) Davis proved dominant, knocking down Garcia in the second round and stopping him in the seventh after Garcia took a knee following a body shot and couldn’t beat the count.
T-Mobile Arena, September 15, 2018
$24,473,500.00
The rematch for Golovkin’s middleweight belts was drenched in bad blood. Golovkin was bitter over the judging that had denied him victory over Alvarez the year before, and furious when Canelo tested positive for clenbuterol, causing the postponement of their second meeting just 32 days before its original scheduled date of May 5. Alvarez, who protested that his failed test was the result of eating tainted beef, was bitter at the Golovkin camp’s subsequent portrayal of him as a dirty fighter. The fight itself was almost a mirror image of the first one: this time, Alvarez was the one who started the faster, Golovkin reeling him in down the stretch but not quite doing enough for the judges, who scored the contest 115-113, 115-113 and 114-114. The fight was the last pay-per-view for HBO, which announced its departure from boxing 12 days later.
T-Mobile Arena, September 16, 2017
$27,059,850.00
Golovkin was the unbeaten wrecking ball who had knocked out 23 consecutive opponents until being taken the distance by Daniel Jacobs in his previous outing. Alvarez was the undisputed star of the sport, the junior middleweight titlist who had become lineal middleweight champion by outpointing Miguel Cotto. The clash had been brewing for two years and when it finally happened, it was one of the best fights of the year, with Golovkin seemingly on his way to a clear win until Alvarez fought back doggedly over the final rounds. Almost every observer saw it as close fight, with the majority shading it to Golovkin; judge Adelaide Byrd, however, somehow scored it 118-110 for Alvarez. The other two judges scored it 115-113 Golovkin and 114-114, leaving neither side satisfied and setting up the rematch.
T-Mobile Arena, August 26, 2017
$55,414,865
More of a circus act than a competitive boxing match – Mayweather entered the contest 49-0 while McGregor was making his professional boxing debut – this combat sports crossover event was nonetheless driven to huge heights by the combined popularity and charisma of Mayweather and UFC lightweight champion McGregor. Including pay-per-view proceeds, Mayweather pocketed an estimated $280 million and McGregor $130 million. The fight itself was not much of a contest; McGregor won the opening few rounds as Mayweather took his time letting his hands go. But once he elected to engage, Mayweather took over, becoming increasingly dominant until referee Robert Byrd stepped in to halt what would be Mayweather's final sanctioned bout.
MGM Grand Garden Arena, May 2, 2015
$72,198,500.00
Years later, the sheer scale of this event continues to beggar belief. Mayweather and Pacquiao were the two biggest stars in the sport and the top two fighters pound-for-pound in the world, and had been for much of the five years this fight had been discussed. They had initially planned to meet in the ring in May 2010, only for negotiations to collapse because of disputes over drug testing protocols. Several years of bad blood and dashed hopes followed until the two men happened to meet courtside at a Miami Heat NBA game in January and sparked negotiations back to life. So great was demand that just 500 tickets went on general sale; they were snapped up in approximately 60 seconds. Ringside seats commanded a face value of almost $200,000, and Las Vegas' McCarran Airport was jammed with private planes from A-listers arriving for the event. Alas, the fight itself was something of a damp squib, as Pacquiao – who afterward claimed he was carrying a shoulder injury – was unable to mount much offense against the defensive mastery of Mayweather. But if the reviews were tepid, that was of little concern to Mayweather, whose purse alone enabled him to bank an estimated $5 million for every minute he was in the ring.
