Yes, Terence Crawford stood at the pinnacle of the super welterweight division after he defeated Israil Madrimov. But under the valor and glory of a battlefield, boxing remains a business. And the fight, which decided the future of the 154-pound division, failed terribly in racking up a profitable business. After PPV numbers, the gate for the fight is out, and it’s a disappointing ride for the fans.

According to Kevin Iole, the event organized by HE Turki Alalshikh lost $10 million. But wait there’s more. The PPV numbers also have been dismal and hover between 75k and 100k. However, the gate for the fight came as a relief, as BoxingNews.co pointed out that paid attendance at the BMO Arena stood at 17,999, totaling $8.4 million. But there is a catch!

Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov: The numbers game

The report by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) revealed that around 4000 tickets were exempt and the rest were paid. That adds to Iole’s claim of promoters distributing the tickets free to load up the stadium. What’s more? A boxing promoter told the website that it was unsure how many of those 17,999 tickets were sold by the promoters. The 4000 ‘exempt’ tickets made their way back, and the fans didn’t utilize them to catch the action live.

CSAC Report Confirms Crawford-Madrimov, Riyadh Season Show Financial Break-Even, At Best
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So, it means that the fight didn’t generate an $8.4 million gate. It’s a big jolt to HE Turki Alalshikh‘s plan to penetrate the American audience. The numbers are low, even considering the likes of Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, David Morrell, and Vergil Ortiz Jr. fought on the same undercard. The fans took to the comment section and debated the numbers.

Fans put a question on ‘Bud’s crowd-pulling power

One fan argued the low numbers meant ‘Bud’ was not a PPV star and thus needed a bigger star to have a blockbuster fighter. According to them, Canelo Alvarez was the one. In addition, they claimed Errol Spence Jr. would do better numbers. They wrote, “This is exactly why Crawford is chasing that Canelo check. Spence is probably gonna do better numbers than Crawford post beat down and lay off.”

A user theorized that Spence Jr., 34, wasn’t the same star anymore. A layoff and losing the allure of an undefeated boxer could affect his ability to sell the fight. They announced, “Spence not going to be pulling like that anymore.”

Someone took a dig at the Crawford vs. Madrimov organizers, who put Eminem on the event and cheekily asked, “How much money went to Eminem.”

A comment referenced the UFC CEO Dana White‘s remarks, who once lashed out at boxing and detailed how prelims fighters didn’t receive enough money. The comment read, “Dana White was right when boxing has events it’s a going out of business event where they cash out pay the prelim fighters peanuts and move on.”

Lastly, a fan wondered how much contribution the co-main event fight of Isaac Cruz vs. Jose Venezuela had made, as the fight was a war from the first bell and gave fans fireworks and exciting action. They asked, “How much did the Cruz v Venezuela fight contribute to these numbers as well…”

What do you make of these numbers for Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov? Do you believe it’s a worrying sign for Crawford’s popularity and his ability to sell arenas? Let us know in the comments below.