How many PPV buys did Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort fight generate?

Evander Holyfield (left) in action against Vitor Belfort (right) in Florida last weekend
Evander Holyfield (left) in action against Vitor Belfort (right) in Florida last weekend

According to journalist Dan Rafael, the Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort boxing card could garner around a meager 150,000 pay-per-view buys.

The PPV package was priced at $49.99 and was available for purchase on the Triller Fight Club's Fite TV.

The event took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, after the California State Athletic Commission refused to sign off on the bout. Triller was criticized for allowing 58-year-old boxing legend Evander Holyfield to fight 44-year-old mixed martial artist Vitor Belfort on short notice.

Holyfield stepped in for another veteran boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, who had tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the event.

Pundits and fans of the sport condemned Triller even more online after Evander Holyfield completely struggled against Vitor Belfort. 'The Real Deal' suffered a crushing TKO defeat to 'The Phenom' in the first of eight rounds during their exhibition encounter.

In a recent tweet, Dan Rafael revealed that PPV sales of the event were worse than expected.

"Per sources, Holyfield vs. Belfort event totaled about 150,000 PPV buys between linear and digital platforms, which would make it a massive money loser for Triller. At 150K, it would gross about $7.5m from PPV, not remotely close to covering even the purses, not to mention rest of the expenses," posted Dan Rafael.

Triller offered Jake Paul $30m to fight Vitor Belfort next

Following the shambolic main event between Vitor Belfort and Evander Holyfield, both the victor and the organizers challenged YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul to a $30m 'winner-take-all' fight.

However, 'The Problem Child' has rubbished the claims, adding that the challenge from Triller was only a publicity stunt.

In a recent episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Paul asked for proof of funds from Triller.

"I honestly didn't think the challenge was coming. Let's be honest, we know that Triller don't have that kind of money to put up. So it's smart on their end because now they get the clout. Now, we're talking about Triller and Vitor. That's how this industry works. It's very outlandish for them to say that. If they show the proof of funds and put the money into a bank account, it will be a whole different story" said Jake Paul.

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