REPORT | Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou pay-per-view did ‘terrible’ numbers

Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury’s boxing match reportedly didn’t do well on pay-per-view.

‘The Predator’ and ‘The Gypsy King’ faced off in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. There, Francis Ngannou and Tyson Fury headlined an ESPN pay-per-view offering, in the former UFC champion’s first fight. Entering the bout, the PFL star was a massive underdog but did much better than many expected.

On fight night, Francis Ngannou scored a third-round knockdown, and even cut Tyson Fury. Ultimately, while the MMA fighter had a lot of success, it wasn’t enough. After ten rounds of back-and-forth action, the boxer earned the victory by split decision. In the process, avoiding one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

However, in terms of the pay-per-view itself, it wasn’t a big success. As first reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou did ‘terrible’ numbers on pay-per-view. While the exact number wasn’t given, it was a fraction of Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, which happened in August.

RELATED: FRANCIS NGANNOU HOPES OLEKSANDR USYK WILL STEP ASIDE AND LET HIM REMATCH TYSON FURY NEXT

“I will have the exact numbers tomorrow, but they were terrible.” Dave Meltzer stated on the Observer Radio, discussing Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou. “Way below an AEW PPV. Possibly 10k for TV orders. I will have the streaming tomorrow. It was nothing close to Canelo or Diaz-Paul buys.” (h/t @Fight_Ghost)

While the pay-per-view numbers are disappointing, it likely won’t impact either man moving forward. For his part, Tyson Fury is still booked for an undisputed championship clash with Oleksandr Usyk in February. Meanwhile, Francis Ngannou is already in talks with Saudi Arabia for another bout early next year.

What do you make of this news? Did you watch Fury and Ngannou’s boxing match over the weekend?