The boxing world took notice of David Benavidez’s return to the ring against Demetrius Andrade over the weekend. The Mexican Monster last fought against former champion Caleb Plant and put on a clinical performance. Meanwhile, Andrade is a formidable fighter in his own right and was undefeated coming into the bout against him. However, the 35-year-old was handed his defeat in a spectacular performance by Benavidez.

Boxing promoter Rick Glaser reported that the fight had garnered little interest when the pay-per-view numbers were considered. According to him, one of the reasons behind the low numbers was piracy. However, he went on to add another problem which resulted in a low PPV number for the Benavidez-Andrade fight. So what did he contend was the reason and what was the reaction from fans?

Fans speculate, debate, and wonder about the PPV numbers of Benavidez’s last fight

On X, the boxing promoter stated, “The #BenavidezAndrade PPV bit the financial bullet, bleeding red ink, it barely broke 60,000 PPV buys. Piracy is a huge problem, but also a big factor Demetrius Andrade was a non-starter for many potential PPV buyers that elected to sit this one out.” As soon as the post became public, fan reactions started pouring in. A fan thought these numbers were not shocking and did not agree with the assessment that the low numbers were a result of piracy.

Along similar lines, one fan said they had already anticipated that the event would be a dud in terms of PPV revenue.

One fan deemed it a “massive failure” that it brought in such low PPV’s.

One fan simply rejected Glaser’s argument by bringing in the high PPV numbers that the Tank Davis-Ryan Garcia fight brought in. They wrote, “Piracy doesn’t stop Tank.”

Last but not least, one fan claimed that the issue is more serious than just piracy.

This discourse does shed light on the stigma around piracy in sports. On one hand, fans argue that there is more to it than it meets the eye. No matter who is right, this issue does warrant a closer inspection. However, until then, let’s take a look at who the next potential opponent would be for David Benavidez.

What is next for David Benavidez?

After his recent win, WBC president, Mauricio Sulaimán, has made it public that a fight between the Mexican Monster and champion, Canelo Alvarez, will be next. In addition, he explicitly stated that he would commence trying to bring the fight to fruition soon. Reflecting on the same, he stated, “This is a process that will start happening in the next coming weeks,” he added, “I’ve been in touch with both camps, and it’s just a matter of getting everybody excited about such a great fight.”

Read more: “He Should Be Up There”: Robert Garcia at Crossroads With David Benavidez Over His Inclusion in the Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Watch This Story: David Benavidez possible next Opponents