How Jake Paul helped end the wait for Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao 2 after a decade
· Yahoo Sports
Jake Paul’s viewership numbers on Netflix ended up helping clear the path for two of boxing’s biggest names.
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In 2024, the streaming giant took its first steps into combat sports, putting on a handful of high-profile boxing events and signalling its growing interest in the space.
Paul fought Mike Tyson on Netflix that November. The bout marked the platform’s debut broadcasting live combat sports.
The fight itself sparked plenty of debate, but it drew huge viewing figures. That success played a part in paving the way for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao to get back together in the ring.
How Jake Paul’s Netflix numbers helped set up Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao 2
Photo by Al Bello/Getty ImagesNetflix reported that the Paul vs. Tyson event drew an average minute audience of 108 million viewers worldwide, a figure that caught the attention of everyone in boxing.
Those figures from Netflix’s first foray into live boxing did not go unnoticed. In fact, they played a major role in finally getting the long-awaited Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch off the ground after years of failed attempts, according to Jas Mathur, CEO of Manny Pacquiao Promotions.
He spoke to MMA Fighting about how the success of Paul’s bout against Tyson, along with the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight, helped bring the long-awaited rematch together.
“The first fight was 11 years ago, so it’s really been in the works for the last 10 years from many different parties. A lot of people tried. It went in 50 different circles, 50 different directions.
“One of the biggest things I would say was the Netflix partnership and the opportunity to do it on Netflix. Just because Netflix is the No. 1 streaming platform. Today, we’re in a streaming world, post pay-per-view. They did the highest grossing boxing pay-per-view event of all time,” Mathur said.
He added: “So looking at the numbers, they see in the 21st century you’ve got Mike Tyson-Jake Paul and then you’ve got Canelo and Crawford that did amazing numbers. Tyson and Paul did 106 million views.
“So these guys are (like) look, if we can have Netflix as a partner, we can get into so many different homes, get access to a whole different audience… That’s what did it. That’s really what did it. It’s the fact that it’s on Netflix.”
Tyson Fury and Conor Benn set to co-headline Netflix event on April 11
Mayweather and Pacquiao are not the only ones drawn to the huge reach that comes with Netflix broadcasts
Tyson Fury is set to begin his latest boxing comeback on April 11, headlining an event against Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Stadium. The card will also feature another notable return.
Soon after news broke of Conor Benn’s $15 million deal with Zuffa Boxing, it was confirmed that he would co-headline alongside Fury.
On Thursday, Turki Alalshikh and Ring Magazine announced that the British fighter will face Regis Prograis in the same arena where he defeated Chris Eubank Jr. last November.
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