Early viewing figures for Joshua vs. Klitschko would suggest there is more than a little interest in a rematch.
For the monster showdown at Wembley on Saturday night, 90,000 people packed out the iconic stadium to watch a hometown hero nervelessly put away one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
But it wasn’t just fight fans from England who were eager to watch the Watford-born fighter rally from adversity and stop Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round.
The whole world seemed to tune in to witness Anthony Joshua confirm that he is indeed the real deal.
Promoter Eddie Hearn insists that the fight broke Sky Box Office records in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“We broke British Box Office records on pay-per-view last night,” Hearn told Radio 5 Live the morning after the fight.
“We can’t tell you the number last night because it’s too early but the record was 1.5 million for Manny Pacquiao against Floyd Mayweather. Last night beat that for sure.”
Hearn has insisted that it’s now time for Joshua to start making a name for himself in the lucrative US market and, judging by their interest in the bout, it’s a market that’s ready to throw its backing behind the London 2012 gold medallist.
According to BoxingScene.com, an average of 659,000 viewers tuned in to Showtime’s live broadcast of the fight while early signs indicate that an incredible 687,000 tuned in during the period between rounds five and six, when both men enjoyed knockdowns over the other.
Nielsen Media Research are expected to release the peak viewership at some stage on Tuesday and it may not be too far off the 700,000 mark.
We have yet to receive an indication about how the fight fared on HBO, who provided delayed coverage of the bout.
RTL had exclusive rights to the fight in Germany and, in a press release, the network confirmed that 10.43 million people tuned in to the contest on the free-to-air service which is a significantly higher figure than the 8.91 million who watched Tyson Fury’s victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
What we’re essentially saying is… people are incredibly interested in watching both Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko punch each other in the face.
