Triller’s Holyfield-Belfort may have done even worse PPV buys than initial reports

The state of the sport isn’t wondrous, with boxing yet again in something of a transitional place.

COVID has hit boxing harder than most any pro sport, so it isn’t all that surprising that I’m seeing and hearing about diminished fan engagement.

It looks like that reality may have bitten the Triller crew in the butt when we consider the audience reaction to last Saturday’s pay-per-view offering topped by Evander Holyfield vs Vitor Belfort.

Most know that was supposed to be a Oscar De La Hoya vs Vitor Belfort main event, but Oscar came down with COVID, and taped an explanatory message from a hospital bed, sharing his disappointment at contracting the virus. Uncertainty plagued the promotion when Oscar got scratched and that was reflected in the fact the featured bout was pitched as a sanctioned contest but was relegated to exhibition status after its completion.

On Thursday, reporter Dan Rafael Tweeted out his intel on how the show did business-wise, saying it “totaled about 150K PPV buys between linear and digital platforms.”

I’ve been told by a credible source with no dog in the hunt that, in fact, the Holyfield-Belfort show might hit 100,000 buys, but probably won’t.

That would indicate the main event gained so-so traction among potential patrons, and that the addition of Donald Trump and Don Jr on commentary didn’t provide a hoped-for boost to make up for the loss of De La Hoya.

I asked a Triller rep to touch base regarding the number Rafael reported on Thursday, and will share a response if one is furnished.

Triller gets another opportunity to conjure intrigue and gain revenue to offset costs like purses and production when they trot out a Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Jr topped slate from the Hulu Theater on Monday, Oct. 4.