The fight was watched by a record global television audience of an estimated 1 billion viewers

Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman.

 

Numbers are not aways quantifiable but Thrilla in Manila was stated had a billion views

 

Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul. Has to be.

Failing that, I’ll second the nomination of the Thrilla in Manila.

 

I believe it eas rumored to be an all british fight.

Was it Benn vs Eubank 2?

Even so I dont believe those numbers.

 

No fight has had a billion viewers i dont care what anyone says its complete BS.

 

I agree. I think this was claimed about the Rumble, at a time when the global population was around 4 billion. That would have meant one in four people across the world watched it. Did one in four people even have access to a television in 1974?

Even now, with the population at around 8bn, there are still billions without the TV sets and necessary connections. Boxing is a global sport but how many Chinese and Indians would watch a big fight? How many Africans? South Americans? Central Americans? To be honest, how many European countries?

To get an audience of 1bn you'd need one in eight people (including babies, infants and young children who make a sizeable proportion of the global population nowadays with the recent population growth) to watch it. I doubt one in eight people in North America or the UK, arguably the countries with the most boxing fans and with access to televisions, satellite broadcasting etc would ever have watched any big fight. I would not be at all surprised if the highest number of people ever to have watched a boxing match didn't even surpass 100 million.

 

Was it will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Slap slap slap??

 

Great post mate.

Exactly what i think.

 

TV alone? Do radio and replays count? If so, Louis Schmeling 2 was probably up there.

 

Ali-Frazier 1?

 

Wasn't it Ali-Spinks II?

 

Bwhahahaha. Omg. That's it.

 

Has to be!