Arum Says Spence-Porter PPV Did Under 200,000 Buys

While people are building that new, better mousetrap, can someone peel off, and come up with an irrefutable way to tally up PPV buys?

We saw yesterday that Mike Coppinger of The Athletic's famed “sources” pegged the buy tally for the Sept. 28 Errol Spence vs Shawn Porter event at over 300,000 and the final number probably would land under 350,000 when the counting is done.

Promoter Bob Arum‘s sources say different. “Actual number was around 170,000,” Arum told me Wednesday night. “Cable out-performed satellite and digital on which my first estimate was based.”

I asked Arum for comparison sake, what did the April 20 Terence Crawford (below, wearing Everlast shirt) vs Amir Khan-topped pay per view do?

“Around 125,00,” the Las Vegas based deal-maker responded.

Now, all this matters more to some, less to others. But being that this is the boxing BUSINESS, and there is no shortage of folks jostling for leverage pole position when fights are getting mode, or contemplated, it does matter.

Some Team Spence folk were active on social media—and by that, I mean lots of “fanager” types, who you'd swear get a cut of earnings–declaring that their guy now clearly deserves the lion's share of the slices of the money pie, because he's been proven to be a PPV draw. And Crawford has under-performed in that realm, those pro Spence-ers say.

But, if Arum's sources, and their less lofty number, are closer to the actual performance, then I think we'd hear less from folks looking for reasons as to why they don't want to see the Texan and the Nebraskan have a shootout in their fistic prime. It may play out that the closer these two are, in the sphere of visibility and popularity, the more likely it is we see them collide sooner rather than later.

And isn't that what you, wearing not a Team Spence or Team Bud, Team Haymon or Team Arum hat, want? To see these two in their prime hitters settle all the talking in the squared circle?

Note: I asked a Fox spokesperson if they'd like to weigh in, and offer their input on the issue. They politely declined comment.