Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou’s pay-per-view reportedly did terrible numbers.
Fury and Ngannou boxed in a highly-anticipated fight in Saudi Arabia last weekend. The lead-up to the fight was full of promotion and it seemed to be a massive fight, with plenty of celebrities in attendance.
However, with the event starting at 2 p.m. ET, and the Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou fighting around 6 p.m. ET, the pay-per-view reportedly struggled according to PPV buys expert Dave Meltzer.
“I will have the exact numbers tomorrow, but they were terrible,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t @Fight_Ghost). “Way below an AEW (All Elite Wrestling) PPV. Possibly 10k for TV orders. I will have the streaming tomorrow. It was nothing close to [Saul] ‘Canelo’ [Alvarez] or [Nate] Diaz-[Jake] Paul buys.”
Meltzer on Observer Radio – discussing the #FuryNgannou PPV buys: "I will have the exact numbers tomorrow, but they were terrible. Way below an AEW PPV. Possibly 10k for TV orders. I will have the streaming tomorrow. It was nothing close to Canelo or Diaz-Paul buys." #BOXING
— Fight Ghost (@Fight_Ghost) November 2, 2023
If Meltzer is accurate, which he has proven to be throughout his career, it would be a major disappointment. Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou were supposed to be a massive fight, but it appears the pay-per-view numbers were a major disappointment.
Francis Ngannou eyes rematch with Tyson Fury
As well, with the pay-per-view numbers not doing well, it likely means the rematch will be harder to make. Francis Ngannou lost a split decision to Tyson Fury in a close fight. Since then, Ngannou has made it clear he wants the rematch with Fury.
“The rematch is what I want next the most,” Ngannou said to TMZ Sports. “As for right now I feel like there is a lot of options for me, but I want to choose wisely, and I would go for the rematch first…
“My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury,” Ngannou said. “If Usyk can step out and let me fight Fury, I’ll fight Fury, then I’ll let them do whatever they do. I’ll go back, maybe do some MMA fight and come back with some people in boxing. I’m planning to fight potentially twice next year, [starting] maybe February or March.”
As of right now, whether or not Tyson Fury has interest in rematching Francis Ngannou is uncertain. But, after the pay-per-view numbers flopped, it’s unclear if he wants to run it back.
