Multichannel reports that HBO has announced that Saturday’s fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao drew 1.25 million buys. The event generated $70 million in pay-per-view revenue. The Los Angeles Times reports that De La Hoya and Pacquiao were guaranteed $20 million and $11 million respectively.
“De La Hoya-Pacquiao definitely exceeded our expectations,” said Mark Taffet, senior vice president of sports operations for HBO. “We hoped that fight would hit the 1 million buy mark, which is the barometer for mega fights in this sport, but we were uncertain given the state of the economy. We were really pleased that boxing fans everywhere showed tremendous support for the fight.”
Meanwhile according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the UFC’s internal discussions indicate that UFC 91 drew 1,010,000 buys. The company is reportedly hoping that late buys will push the event to an all-time company record number of buys. The current mark is 1,050,000 set by UFC 66. However, Dave Meltzer cautions that the number is not yet official and recalls similar reports out of the company following UFC 71. That event ultimately posted 675,000 buys.