How many PPVs did Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou sell? Here's the latest estimate

Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou's PPV clash reportedly sold under 70,000 in the U.S.

'The Gypsy King' and 'The Predator' returned to the boxing ring last month in Saudi Arabia. There, the two heavyweight boxers headlined an ESPN pay-per-view offering featuring some big names on the undercard.

That being said, most fans obviously purchased the event for the main event. In that ten-round headliner, Ngannou had far more success than many saw coming. The former UFC champion scored a knockdown in the third round and showed a lot of poise for his first boxing match.

Still, Tyson Fury emerged with a split-decision win to avoid the upset. In the process, he retained his lineal heavyweight title and moved closer to his long-awaited clash with Oleksandr Usyk. 'The Cat' is supposed to face Fury in Saudi Arabia next February in a bid for undisputed heavyweight gold.

One has to figure that the event will likely do better than Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou did on PPV. As first reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter earlier this week, the event sold 67,500 in the United States.

Now, that number is just one estimate, obviously. Furthermore, the PPV numbers for the U.K. haven't been released, and that's arguably the more important figure given Fury's popularity there. Still, this first estimate isn't a pretty one.

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Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou PPV: How did the bout do in comparison to other events?

Even compared to other boxing events in 2023, Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou's PPV is a disappointing number.

It goes without saying, but boxing today isn't as popular and important as it was a few decades ago. With the rise of the UFC and MMA, there's another combat sport that demands fans' attention on Saturday nights.

That's why many high-profile boxing matches are on DAZN's subscription or ESPN+. Still, there have been a few major pay-per-view events this year, which can be compared to Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou.

In April, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia went to war on Showtime pay-per-view. Despite neither man being a major draw in the past, the event reportedly sold 1.2 million buys in the United States. Another championship clash between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. reportedly sold 700,000 buys in July.

In terms of influencers, both Jake Paul and KSI had successful events in 2023 as well. 'The Problem Child's reportedly sold 800,000 against Tommy Fury, as well as 450,000 vs. Nate Diaz, while 'The Nightmare' did 300,000 against Joe Fournier.

While the final numbers haven't been tallied, Fury vs. Ngannou's PPV numbers are very disappointing.