By: Sean Crose
Taylor- Serrano 3 has brought in enormous numbers for Netflix. According to reports, the third match between the iconic female fighters drew in a whopping 6 million viewers worldwide, over 4 million of whom tuned in from the United States. It was clear that, after their first two extraordinary matches, both fighters knew how to entice an audience. What’s more, Jake, Paul and his team knew how to promote the fight and promote it well. Lastly, Netflix wisely aired Taylor-Serrano 3 on its regular streaming service rather than as a pay-per-view event. Those who argue in perpetuity that boxing is a dying sport need only look at the numbers produced last weekend. Once an appealing fight is broadcast free of excess charge, people will show up to watch.
This, of course is a good sign for the sport of boxing. After Jake Paul’s monstrous, if ridiculous, bout with Mike Tyson last year, it was worth wondering whether the sport of boxing might be a lucrative venue for Netflix. Last Friday’s fight seems to have proven it is. If only this third go round had lived up to the first two matches between Taylor and Serrano, the big viewing numbers might have been even bigger. Not to say that last Friday night’s fight was a dud- it wasn’t. It simply wasn’t the all-out war the first two battles were. Still, audiences appear to have been entertained by the event, which means that more boxing cards are likely to appear on Netflix in the future, presumably free of extra charge.
This is all also very good news for this September’s Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford super fight. While Taylor-,Serano was no doubt a big event in the sport, Canelo-Crawford is the biggest event the sport has had in years. The fact that it’s going to air on Netflix free of pay-per-view charges will be a big drawing point for a fight that was already likely to get impressive numbers. One of boxing’s great problems in past decades is that even the biggest fighters often have not become household names. The last true household names from the sport were Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. Pacquiao may be returning to the ring this weekend, but it’s clear the era he and Mayweather dominated is over. In short, it’s time for new household names to arrive.
Crawford and Canelo may not be household names, although they are certainly well known in the sports world, they stand a good chance of becoming such as the lead up to their fall throwdown heats up. With that in mind, Crawford and Canelo are fighters wrapping their careers up. Hopefully their fight will bring new attention to the sport as a new generation takes the reins.
