De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Makes Pay-Per-View History with 2.15 Million Buys

09/05/2007

De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Makes Pay-Per-View History with 2.15 Million Buys

Press release: HBO Sports reported today that 2.15 million pay-per-view buys and $120 million in pay-per-view revenue was generated from last Saturday’s mega fight showdown featuring Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.  The fight was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. 

In a fight that set the all-time pay-per-view record by eclipsing the previous mark by a sizable margin of 160,000 buys as well as establishing a new mark for   revenue from a pay-per-view telecast, Mayweather scored a split decision victory and captured De La Hoya’s junior middleweight title.  The showdown, which featured boxing’s two biggest attractions, produced 1,225,000 buys from cable systems and 925,000 buys from satellite homes throughout the 50 states.

“De La Hoya vs. Mayweather was a record-setting event from the moment the fight was announced,” said Ross Greenburg, President of HBO Sports.  “We are delighted that sports fans recognized the greatness of these two future Hall of Famers and tuned in for their showdown.  It’s satisfying to see that boxing still  connects with sports fans throughout the country and we are determined to continue to present high-profile fights that capture the public’s imagination.”

Mayweather, regarded as the sport’s pound-for-pound king, now possesses a spotless 38-0 record.  The 30-year-old Grand Rapids, Michigan native now lives in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya, 34, who has won titles in six weight classes and is the industry’s all-time top pay-per-view performer, has now participated in each of the top six non-heavyweight pay-per view events in history -- including the industry record-setting 2.15 million buys vs. Mayweather; the 1.4 million buys for the Felix Trinidad fight in Sept. 1999; one million buys for the matchup with Bernard Hopkins in September 2004; the Sept. 2003 rematch with Shane Mosley, which generated 950,000 buys; and the Sept. 2002 showdown with Fernando Vargas and the May 2006 encounter with Ricardo Mayorga, both of which registered 935,000 buys. 

The  De La Hoya vs. Mayweather junior middleweight championship fight will be replayed this Saturday night, May 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/ PT  & 9:00 p.m CT on HBO.

The rebroadcast will include a studio show hosted by Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant with new interviews of Mayweather and De La Hoya, plus highlights from the groundbreaking "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7" reality series. 

The program will be replayed on HBO2 Sunday, May 13 at 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, May 15 at 11:30 p.m.  Both times are ET/PT.