The highly-anticipated showdown between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, which took place in Saudi Arabia, reportedly failed to meet expectations in terms of pay-per-view sales. Despite the extensive promotional efforts and the presence of numerous celebrities, the event’s timing appears to have played a crucial role in its lackluster performance.
The fight began at 2 p.m. ET, with Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou entering the ring around 6 p.m. ET. According to pay-per-view expert Dave Meltzer, the numbers were far from impressive, and he stated, “I will have the exact numbers tomorrow, but they were terrible.” Meltzer further explained, “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.”
If Meltzer’s assessment holds true, it would be a significant letdown for a fight that was expected to draw substantial pay-per-view interest. The clash between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou was viewed as a major event, and the disappointing pay-per-view numbers have raised questions about its overall success.
This is contrary to what Ariel Helwani said during his October 30th show.
Francis Ngannou has his eyes set on a rematch with Tyson Fury. Their previous encounter ended with Fury winning a split decision in a closely contested bout. Ngannou expressed his desire for a rematch, saying, “The rematch is what I want next the most. 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.”
Ngannou outlined his plans for the coming year, stating, “My best scenario in boxing is to wait for Fury. 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.”
The interest in a rematch from Tyson Fury’s side remains uncertain at this point. The disappointing pay-per-view figures may influence his decision on whether to engage in a second encounter with Francis Ngannou.