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The 25 most purchased pay-per-view boxing matches of all time
Floyd Mayweather really is money when it comes to pay-per-view. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 25 most purchased pay-per-view boxing matches of all time

In addition to being the most hyped event in combat sports history, Saturday's boxing fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is poised to be the most purchased event in pay-per-view history. That's what happens when you have stars in two separate sports — MMA for McGregor, boxing for Mayweather — going head to head. Oh yes, it also helps when the two participants are two of the biggest showmen and loudmouths in sports.

Still, in order to become the biggest PPV ever, the fight will have to outsell these 25 boxing fights. 

 
1 of 25

Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Approximately 1 million people paid to watch Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins knock out Oscar De La Hoya on Sept. 18, 2004, in the ninth round of this middleweight championship unifying fight. The million PPV buys grossed approximately $56 million

 
2 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Approximately 1 million people purchased the snoozer that was the Mayweather vs. Guerrero fight. Mayweather won in typical Mayweather fashion: by unanimous decision.

 
3 of 25

Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr.

Canelo Álvarez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr.
Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

The most recent entrant on this list (it took place May 6, 2017), approximately 1 million people paid HBO to watch Canelo Alvarez — Mexico's best fighter right now — pummel Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of Mexico's greatest boxer ever.

 
4 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

1.06 million people paid (Sept. 19, 2009) to watch Mayweather come back from retirement and win by unanimous decision.

 
5 of 25

Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson

Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson
JEFF HAYNES/Getty Images

Seldon vs. Tyson, which had 1.15 million PPV buys, is notable for a handful of reasons: Tyson knocked out Seldon in the first round, Seldon was accused by the audience of fixing the fight and, perhaps more importantly, this was the fight legendary rapper Tupac Shakur attended the night he was murdered.

 
6 of 25

Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito

Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito
Nick Laham/Getty Images

Pacquiao vs. Margarito (Nov. 13, 2010) took place because negotiations between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather fell through. This replacement fight still sold well, 1.15 million buys. Pacquiao won by unanimous decision.

 
7 of 25

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV
Al Bello/Getty Images

Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV (Dec. 8, 2012) is the fight that gave us the knocked-out Pacquiao meme. The fight, which drew 1.15 million buys, was Marquez finally getting the much deserved win over Pacquiao. Anyone who knows anything about boxing will tell you that Marquez was absolutely robbed of a victory in Pacquiao vs. Marquez III.

 
8 of 25

Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis

Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis
John Gichigi/Getty Images

 This heavyweight fight (March 13, 1999) had the potential to be really exciting. Yet it wasn't. Holyfield vs. Lewis ended in a draw, much to the likely chagrin of the 1.2 million people who purchased the fight.

 
9 of 25

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

 De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao (Dec. 6, 2008) was the former's last farewell — De La Hoya retired after this fight — and the latter's coming-out party — this bout propelled Manny Pacquiao into boxing superstardom. This superfight, which resulted in a victory for Pacquiao by corner retirement at the end of the eighth round, drew 1.25 million PPV buys.

 
10 of 25

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
Al Bello/Getty Images

Pacquiao won the WBO welterweight title after knocking out Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto in the 12th round (Nov. 14, 2009). The fight drew 1.25 million PPV buys for HBO.

 
11 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Victor Ortiz

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Victor Ortiz
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Victor Ortiz didn't stand a chance when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 17, 2011. Mayweather dominated from the get-go before quickly disposing of Ortiz in the fourth round, knocking him out. The bout drew 1.25 million PPV buys.

 
12 of 25

Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley

Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley
Chris Trotman/Getty Images

  The most interesting thing about Pacquiao vs. Mosley (May 7, 2011), which the former won by unanimous decision, is the musical performances at the fight. Tyrese Gibson sang the national anthem, Jamie Foxx performed "America the Beautiful" and LL Cool J provided Sugar Shane Mosley's entrance music by rapping live. This fight drew 1.34 million PPV buys.

 
13 of 25

Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson II

Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson II
MIKE NELSON/Getty Images

 1.37 million people paid Showtime for the pleasure of watching Bruno vs. Tyson II (March 16, 1996). Tyson took Bruno's WBC heavyweight title belt in the fourth round after unleashing a 13-punch combo that resulted in the fight being stopped by referee (and TV judge) Mills Lane in the fourth.

 
14 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

What's notable about Mayweather vs. Mosley (May 1, 2010) is that it was the first boxing match in the United States to use Olympic-style drug testing. This was done at Mayweather's request and agreed to by Mosley, who wanted to dispel the persistent rumors that he was a doper. Mayweather  won by unanimous decision. The fight drew 1.4 million PPV buys.

 
15 of 25

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Félix Trinidad

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Félix Trinidad
HECTOR MATA/Getty Images

1.4 million people paid HBO for the pleasure of watching the judges blatantly rob Oscar De La Hoya (Sept. 18, 1999). Felix Trinidad was declared the winner by split decision. The robbery was made more egregious by the fact that this was De La Hoya's first defeat (Trinidad was also undefeated going into this bout).

 
16 of 25

Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman

Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman
Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Dubbed "The Battle of the Ages," Evander Holyfield defeated a then 42-year-old George Foreman (April 19, 1991) by unanimous decision. HBO reported 1.4 million PPV buys for this fight.

 
17 of 25

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez III

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez III
Harry How/Getty Images

Pacquiao vs. Marquez III (Nov. 13, 2011) resulted in a questionable split decision for the former. Fans at the MGM Grand were not happy with the decision, booing loudly and throwing items at the ring to show their displeasure. The bout drew 1.4 million PPV buys.

 
18 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto
JOHN GURZINSKI/Getty Images

Mayweather vs. Cotto (May 5, 2012) was your typical huge payday fight for Mayweather, who walked away with a unanimous decision win and a reported $45 million. It drew 1.5 million PPV buys.

 
19 of 25

Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley

Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley
CARLOS SCHIEBECK/Getty Images

Tyson vs. McNeeley (Aug 19, 1995) lasted a whopping 89 seconds. McNeeley's manager entered the ring to stop the bout after watching his fighter get dropped twice in the first round. This very short fight drew 1.55 million PPV for Showtime.

http://www.gettyimages.com/license/51990533

 
20 of 25

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
The Ring Magazine/Getty Images

Evander Holyfield surprised the world when he defeated Mike Tyson by technical knockout in the 11th round. No, this isn't the fight you're thinking it is. This is the one before it, and it was also very successful. It drew 1.59 million PPV buys.

 
21 of 25

Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson

Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson
The Ring Magazine/Getty Images

I don't know what's more memorable about this fight (June 8, 2002), the fact that Tyson lost his mind and caused a scene at the pre-fight press conference (Ring Magazine called this the "Event of the Year" for 2002), or Lewis knocking Tyson out in eighth round (Ring Magazine gave it the "Knockout of the Year" for 2002). Lewis vs. Tyson drew 1.97 million PPV buys.

 
22 of 25

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II

Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II
JEFF HAYNES/Getty Images

Holyfield vs. Tyson II (June 28, 1997) was not only one of the most memorable fights in boxing history — Tyson bit part of Holyfield's ear off in the third round — it was also one of the most successful ever. Showtime reported 1.99 million PPV buys for what is still one of the strangest moments in sports history.

 
23 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Álvarez
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

It's kind of crazy that Mayweather vs. Alvarez (Sept. 14, 2013) is one of the highest-selling fights of all time (2.2 million PPV buys for Showtime) and yet still manages to be completely forgettable. Mayweather won by split decision, handling Alvarez his first professional loss.

 
24 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Oscar De La Hoya
GABRIEL BOUYS/Getty Images

 Poor Oscar De La Hoya, man. No boxer has been screwed over worse by controversial split decisions in high-profile fights more than him. Case in point: May 5, 2007. The Golden Boy lost his WBC light middleweight belt to Mayweather Jr. in a bout so close, Mayweather Sr. thought his son had clearly lost. Granted, he was De La Hoya's trainer, but still. De La Hoya vs. Mayweather was the first fight to ever cross the 2 million PPV buys threshold (it had 2.4 million buys).

 
25 of 25

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao
Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Boxing fans finally got what they'd spend years clamoring for when Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fought on May 2, 2015. Unfortunately, the fight didn't deliver. Mayweather handily boxed his way into a unanimous decision over a Pacquiao clearly no longer in his prime. To date, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the most successful fight of all time. It drew 4.6 million PPVs buys, nearly doubling De La Hoya vs. Mayweather's figures.

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