Who Draws The Biggest Crowds In The World Of Boxing?

Boxing is one of the most popular sports in the world and is currently going through an even bigger boom in popularity due to the sports ability to create a huge buzz for one-off events, involving characters who are either loved, hated, influential, dangerous or a mixture of all four.

Who are the biggest ticket sellers in world boxing? The fighters who are a big box office draw and put spectators on the edge of their seats in equal measure? Here are the top three biggest and best who are currently fighting. Chances are you will have seen or heard of them before, even if you’re not a boxing fan.

Anthony Joshua

UK based ‘AJ’ is the current WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight champion (he only needs the WBC title to be crowned ‘undisputed’ champion) and is unbeaten in 21 fights, with only his last fight going the distance. In his last three fights, Joshua has sold out Wembley Stadium, a venture with an incredible 90,000 seats, and has twice sold out Cardiff’s Principality Stadium with a capacity of 78,000. With record-breaking online ticket sales each time out, his popularity is increasing each time he fights.

As his profile grows, expect Joshua to come to the USA and fight either at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York, or one of the many casinos in Las Vegas. With his good looks, knockout power and beaming smile, Joshua is going to be one of the biggest draws in the sport if he continues on the path he is on right now.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez

The Mexican warrior has 49 wins against the sole defeat to one of the best fighters, and biggest box office draws of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. In fact, their September 2013 fight in Las Vegas is still the fourth biggest PPV event in combat sports history, with 2.2 million buys, and he has regularly filled out the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas and the 60,000 AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He regularly makes over $30 million per fight, and his popularity is only likely to improve, especially if he defeats long-reigning middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in their hotly-anticipated rematch, tipped for September. Their epic first fight ended in a draw after 12 brutal rounds.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. lives up to his nickname, with fight earnings adding up to around $700-800 million. His biggest two fights, in his home city of Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao and UFC star Conor McGregor, both set box office records, and netted Mayweather approximately $250 million for each fight.

Although he is (technically) retired at 50 straight wins with zero defeats, it should be noted that Floyd has retired several times before, and is currently rumored to be plotting the second fight with McGregor in a mixture of MMA/boxing rules. If he never fights again, Mayweather will go down in history as one of the biggest draws in the history of boxing. If he chooses to fight again, the world will stop and watch, and Las Vegas will be an explosion of activity, as it always is when Mayweather hits the strip.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.