Bob Arum Addresses Disappointing PPV Numbers For Haney Vs. Prograis
Bob Arum backed up reports that Devin Haney vs Regis Prograis flopped on PPV.
The comments significantly hinder Haney’s position as a major player in negotiations. ‘The Dream’ has been linked with fighting Gervonta Davis, who is seen as a cash cow of the sport. Davis’ last fight against Ryan Garcia reportedly did over $1.2 million PPV buys, showing the huge difference.
The real #Haney–#Prograis PPV number is the low 50,000 on #DAZN PPV. My pre-fight number over/under was 65,000. We all know piracy is a big problem, but it also had a horrible undercard, & holiday season PPV's have never do good numbers in the U.S. Remember #Benavidez–#Andrade…
— Rick Glaser (@RealRickGlaser1) December 16, 2023
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, also reacted to the poor PPV numbers, resulting in Bill Haney firing back, stating the numbers were much higher.
We’ve done the biggest ppv’s in the history of the sport and hold every single record all documented, but I don’t have access to the information as it relates to the numbers, do you know how silly that sounds? Anyways, wishing them the best moving forward!!
— Leonard Ellerbe (@LEllerbe) December 16, 2023
Arum suggested numerous reasons why the numbers were low. The cost of the PPV was $75, putting it at the higher end. The card also took place on December 9, 2023, near Christmas. Most boxing fans were concerned with the festive season, so a PPV of that price was not a priority. Arum also clarified that various fights on the same night may have split the audience, thus removing suggestions Haney cannot sell.
“The fact that it did so poorly is not really a reflection on Haney’s marketability. It’s just a fight that took place at the wrong time against fights that were free to air on other platforms like ESPN.
“On ESPN, we had a terrific, terrific featherweight championship [between WBO champion Robeisy Ramirez & Rafael Espinoza on the same night as Haney vs. Prograis on December 9th] match that was a huge upset [with Espinoza beating Robeisy] against it.
“So the fact that it [Haney vs. Prograis] didn’t do well [on DAZN PPV] doesn’t mean that Haney isn’t a good pay-per-view draw, but it didn’t do well,” Arum said
Reaction
And Devin is the a-side against tank???😂😂😂 yall Devin 🥜 huggers is real quiet rn😭😭
— Brandon Brown (@Brandon11608913) December 16, 2023
Tank, Canelo and Jake Paul are the three biggest PPV draws right now.
— Jason Herron (@jasonherron23) December 16, 2023
That wasn’t a PPV worthy fight…
— Breion Sabbath (@1bresabbath) December 16, 2023