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Despite Floyd Mayweather’s 4.6 Million PPV With Pacquiao, Joe Rogan Says Boxing Goes “Wherever the Heavyweights Go”

Published 11/12/2022, 5:30 AM EST

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Within the confines of the ‘squared circle’, either 16 feet by 16 feet or 24 feet by 24 feet, two men exchange blows in a dance of vanquishment. Each jab or hook that meets the target animates some with hope, while it signals desperation, humiliation, and anger for many.

The feelings are insuppressible, more so when two prominent men fight. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and the hysterical reactions we see. But is that all to it?

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Let’s not forget big men rake in the moolah, but does it make the Heavyweight division the only cash cow boxing has?

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s trilogy ended with the latter’s defeat. $80 was the match’s pay-per-view price. Their second match had received nearly a million purchases. But the trilogy could only manage slightly more than the half-million mark.

Fight of the Century

Let’s check out the almighty dollar pulled in by other famous fights.

The Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao remains the most profitable. Two of the greatest Welterweights met for the first time to claim the unified title. Also called The Battle for Greatness, the match received roughly 4.6 million pay-per-view requests, an unbroken record.

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There is a reason why the moniker Money befits Floyd Mayweather. His name tops the list of matches that brought maximum business to boxing. Only two games that had the heavies contesting could match Mayweather’s record. 

In episode number 1892 of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, the popular host, in a chat with stand-up comedians Ari Shaffir, Tom Segura, and Bert Kreischer, made a spur-of-the-moment comment, “I think Tyson Fury’s like, wherever the heavyweights go, so does boxing, that’s like an old saying.”

Rest of Weights Versus The Heavyweight

The adage may need a review, given the segment with the maximum number of boxers is Welterweight and Middleweight. However, the reasons could be practical, since it is much easier for an average person to train and acquire skills in an inherent frame.

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The combination of agility and strength is more prevalent in the lower-weight divisions. On the other hand, heavyweight boxers are generally slow to move.

Few experts surmise that for boxing to catch up with UFC’s increasing popularity, an immediate step would be to reduce the number of intermittent weight classes. Compared to UFC, boxing has around 18 weight divisions.

Watch Out for More: The Bout that impressed Rogan the Most

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Dissolving a few intermittent weight divisions to create a more comprehensive single-weight division will assimilate more talented fighters. Hence, fans will always be assured of exciting bouts instead of waiting for a star boxer to weigh up or down as it happens now to achieve a title.

Do let us know your views on whether boxing should be a particular division-heavy sport or one that is evenly spread out to attract a broad base of fans.

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

1,541Articles

One take at a time

After completing 18 years in the corporate sector, Jaideep decided to make a move out of the comfort zone and follow his heart's calling to becoming a writer. His understanding of Boxing began with Iron Mike's debut as an 18 year old in 1985. Like anyone and everyone else, he holds Muhammad Ali as the greatest, though his personal favorite remains the 'PacMan' Manny Pacquiao for his speed and sheer toughness.
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Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale