The Numbers Break with the Rhetoric About Black Fighters’ Value
Pay-per-view buys determine if a fighter is considered the face of the sport. Fighter’s like Hall of Fame Inductee Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Manny Pacquiao topped the charts. Fights like Sugar Ray Leonard vs Thomas Hearn and Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs Roberto Duran were big hits.
Lately, there has been a shift in how fans and pundits determine a PPV was a bust. Once upon a time, anything under a million buys was frowned upon. That narrative has changed due to a lack of interest in the sport, and illegal streaming. Now the tone is black fighters are hard to sell, but when other non-black fighters flop the energy is not the same.
When examining the numbers black and non-black fighter’s PPV sells are almost the same. Yet, the criticism at times is directed in only one direction, and the goalpost for others gets moved. Finally, the black community has to shoulder some of the blame for not supporting our fighters like Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Filipinos.
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