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The Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch last month captivated the boxing world, as Fury sought out revenge for his loss in May last year. Having once been defeated by ‘The Cat,’ the Brit distanced himself from his family and loved ones to focus on training in hopes of overcoming the Ukrainian’s superior skills. But alas, things didn’t go his way!

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‘The Gypsy King’ lost their rematch even more decisively than before, with Usyk securing a unanimous decision win. Besides the success of the main event though, the card featured some action-packed fights, which left a mark on everybody in the arena and at home watching it unfold. Still, the question is, what kind of numbers did the event produce? 

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According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, their first encounter in May saw the fight generate upwards of $50 million in pay-per-view revenue with 1.5 million plus pay-per-view buys. Interestingly, the vast majority of those PPV sales seem to have come from the United Kingdom, where Fury is the biggest name in boxing.

Additionally, the event generated $40 million from sponsorships and another $30 million from ticket sales. Turning to the rematch, boxing insider Rick Glaser disclosed that the pay-per-view sales for the December 21 event have comfortably surpassed 500,000 buys. Responding to a query on X, where a user asked, “Mr. Glaser, did Fury vs. Usyk 2 cross 500k PPV buys worldwide?” Glaser confidently replied, “Easily, without batting an eye!”

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Meanwhile, a former WBA champion has shared Usyk’s shocking admission following his fight against Fury.

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Oleksandr Usyk claims Tyson Fury rematch was much easier

The first time Usyk and Fury faced off in the ring—it ended with a hard-fought split decision win for the Ukrainian. Their second encounter looked even closer, as Fury was much more aggressive and determined to secure a win. While Usyk still managed to get the better of Fury, during the post-fight press conference, Usyk was quoted claiming their rematch was easy. 

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His claims now seem to have been backed by former light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. Kovalev and Usyk share the same manager, Egis Klimas, so in an interview with Seconds Out, Kovalev said, “[Usyk and I] have the same manager, Egis Klimas, and he said that Oleksandr said to him, ‘Listen, I can fight one more time tonight, easily.’ The first fight [with Fury], yes, he was tired. But the second fight, much, much easier.”

That being said, the exact pay-per-view numbers are still a mystery, but Rick Glaser has shared a glimpse into the success of the event on social media. But how many PPVs do you think the rematch sold?

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Written by

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Sudeep Sinha

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Sudeep Sinha is a Golf Writer at EssentiallySports, covering the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the storylines around the sport's biggest events and names. He previously spent over two years writing in the Boxing department, where his fight-night coverage was featured on Sports Illustrated, Daily Mail, and Yahoo Sports, including his reporting on Ryan Garcia's career arc. On the golf beat, Sudeep covers tour news, player form, and the season-long storylines that shape the men's and women's game, from majors to the ongoing shifts in how professional golf is structured. That same appetite for detail that made his boxing coverage stand out now shows up in how he breaks down a swing change or a schedule shakeup for hardcore and casual fans alike. Outside work, he splits his time between reading, cycling, and following combat sports.

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Gokul Pillai

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