Lewis-Tyson Pay Per View Sets Record Gross

The long-awaited, highly-anticipated heavyweight showdown between reigning heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson June 8 from the Pyramid in Memphis, TN registered 1.8 million pay-per-view buys in the United States, generating $103 million in pay-per-view revenue, the highest-grossing pay-per-view event in history.

The 1.8 million buys represents the highest figure for a heavyweight pay-per-view prizefight since 1997. In fact, it is the first prizefight to do more than 1 million buys since 1999, when two fights surpassed the 1 million-buy mark. The buys consisted of 1.2 million from cable systems and 600,000 from satellite homes throughout the 50 states.

The event was presented by Budweiser and promoted by Lion Promotions, Main Events and Fight Night, Inc. in association with Prize Fight Promotions, LLC. The historic showdown was co-produced and co-distributed by Showtime and HBO.