World Boxing News can reveal the Pay Per View figures for Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr. as the second fight is confirmed for June 17.
As BOXXER and Wasserman delighted in announcing the rematch following a successful first event, WBN grabbed the numbers from BARB [Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board].
It shows that Sky Sports Box Office had 679,000 purchases in January, with Smith vs Eubank Jr. as the only Pay Per View on offer.
That puts the first clash above Tyson Fury vs Derek Chisora [500k] and Amir Khan vs Kell Brook [600k] as a recent top event. However, Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk II sold almost double [1.249m] that of Smith vs Eubank.
The clash did break a record for the middleweight limit, though, according to BOXXER.
BOXXER are calling it “Repeat or revenge?” and “All or nothing?” as UK fans look forward to a blockbuster night of box office boxing at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Smith faces Eubank Jr again in a high-stakes rematch five months after the first.
Last time out, months of build-up and high tensions culminated in bad blood during fight week. It set the stage for a classic encounter in January between Smith and Eubank, with 20,000 fans watching on.
Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr PPV numbers
On the PPV, Boxxer stated: “A huge Pay Per View audience also witnessed the event, setting a new domestic pay-per-view record for the weight class. And another sell-out is expected in June, with fans able to register for tickets today ahead of Friday’s general sale.”
Both fighters are eager for a definitive finish, as there was little in the way of a feeling-out process in the initial encounter.
Heavy leather was traded from the opening bell. It was all over twelve minutes later, with the referee stepping in to wave the fight off after Smith emphatically put Eubank Jr down twice in the first minute of the fourth round.
The result did little to settle tensions between the two men. They rose further when Eubank’s team claimed one of the knockdowns had resulted from an illegal elbow strike.
This incensed Smith, who saw it as a display of bad sportsmanship. Eubank refused to admit Smith had been the better man on the night.
Rematch
In the summer, those tensions will soar as both men return to the battle scene. It will irrevocably change the course of their careers.
Furthermore, undisputed Super-Middleweight champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn puts all her gold on the line against Savannah Marshall in the co-feature.
