The pay-per-view boxing category will look to draw some rare summertime revenue as two marquee events are slated for the typically slow month of August.
Fox Sports will distribute a Saturday, Aug. 21, fight between eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao and WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. Ugas is a late replacement for undefeated welterweight champion Errol Spence, who pulled out of the fight after he was diagnosed with a retinal tear to his left eye.
Pacquiao is among the top PPV performers of all time. His 2015 fight with Floyd Mayweather stands as the biggest PPV event ever.
While not a traditional boxing event, Showtime’s Sunday, Aug. 29 PPV event between YouTube star Jake Paul and former UFC mixed martial arts fighter Tyron Woodley is aimed at younger, non-fight fans as well as boxing aficionados. Paul’s brother Logan Paul’s June 6 exhibition fight against Floyd Mayweather drew more than 1 million PPV buys, according to industry observers.
In Demand senior VP of programming and marketing Mark Boccardi said both fights could draw significant PPV business despite falling in late summer. “There is so much pent-up demand for good, entertaining boxing events,” he said.
Boccardi said the two fights are a launchpad for what is shaping up to be a busy fall PPV boxing schedule that already has an Oct. 9 Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III heavyweight championship fight in place. Cards featuring Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua, as well as exhibitions featuring Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson, are in the works, per published reports.
