The March 1 face-off between Gervonta Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. drew significant attention and criticism. Tank’s title defense ended in a controversial majority draw. The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) acknowledged referee Steve Willis‘ blunder. According to them, he should have issued a mandatory count when Davis took a voluntary knee. But they upheld the match decision, thus causing further anguish.

But it’s not all gloomy. Fans can take heart – despite all the hoopla, businesswise, the event appears to have done well based on one report. Boxing insider Rick Glaser shared a few details about the supposed pay-per-view (PPV) buyouts. It didn’t take much time before fans started sharing their viewpoints. Most seem to agree, in spite of all that happened, Tank Davis remains one of boxing’s biggest draws.

Now, that completely surpassed expectations

“The Tank Davis-Lamont Roach PBC fight did slightly less than 150,000 PPV buys,” said Rick Glaser in a post on X. Considering last year’s Frank Martin fight, which did around 350,000 PPVs, many may not consider this a satisfactory figure. But the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame (NYBHOF) inductee felt that despite the challenges it faced, the Davis-Roach fight performed well.

The fight was priced at $80 per PPV. It’s roughly 310% higher than the much cheaper PPV prices of Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season boxing events. Earlier reports suggested that the event might have surpassed Puerto Rican rapper-wrestler Bad Bunny‘s previously held gate record at the Barclays Center.

In terms of sheer revenue, based on Rick Glaser’s report, it looks like it failed to match Tank’s previous fight at the Barclays Center, the one against Rolando Romero. With nearly 275,000 PPV buyouts, the 2022 fight generated over $20 million in revenue. But it should be noted that these figures are still unconfirmed, and since Glaser isn’t directly related to the event or the promotion in any way, the numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt. Some reports even put it between 500,000 to 550,000 pay-per-view buys.

Nevertheless, the information enthused quite a few fans. Let’s check what some of them had to say.

No Slowdown in Gervonta Davis’ Box-Office Appeal

Quite excited, one fan said, “Very good numbers considering the price and card.” The $80 price tag and the overall fight card (undercard lineup) could have made it less appealing. However, the numbers still turned out well.

The user couldn’t help but draw an interesting analogy involving Floyd Mayweather. “Bro, Tank really doing Mayweather numbers if you look at it, especially with streaming—all facts,” they said. If piracy weren’t an issue, the actual viewership might have been much higher. It only reinforces Davis’ star power.

The next one echoed similar sentiments: “Agreed, solid numbers from Tank as expected, especially for $80 a piece.” It’s clear Davis has a solid fanbase that will pay premium prices to watch him fight. Then, to some, it was all about records. “Tank-Roach was the highest-grossing boxing show & had the highest gate ever at the Barclays Center,” said this fan. The fight reportedly established a gate record as well. For the uninformed, according to one report, the event at Barclays Center in Brooklyn saw a footfall of 19,250, making it the second-highest grossing event in the history of the arena, just below the 2012 Rolling Stones concert. This further goes to show Tank Davis’ ticket-selling power, which could be at an all-time high.

But one fan still has their doubts. “That number makes me think a lot of pretty consistent boxing fans sat this one out,” they said. Perhaps the PPV sales were lower than expected because dedicated fans either weren’t interested, found the price too high, or opted for illegal streams instead.

So while he may have received criticism for his performance, there doesn’t seem to be any decline in Gervonta Davis’ ability to draw crowds.

With reports of a rematch emerging, fans can look forward to another exciting clash between the two. This time, however, they’ll be hoping for a more decisive outcome – either Davis scoring a knockout or Roach Jr. picking up where he left off in the first fight to hand Tank his first professional loss.

What are your thoughts on Rick Glaser’s take on the business side of the Davis-Roach fight?