I have never cared who is a big draw. It matters nothing to me. I like the sport. I am not in the management, promotion or broadcast business.
That could be attributed to Jones moving up to fight a heavyweight though. That makes for an interesting spectacle surely.
I think the low numbers for the Prince Badi was due to the perception that Jones was a used up shell of his former self. Prince Badi was ranked in the top 10 of all organizations, was the North American light heavy champion and had something like a 6 fight win streak. It was a compelling match because Jones had a three fight loss streak. Many had called for Jones to retire but that fight proved that Roy still had a career in front of him. It was a huge crossroads fight for him but I don't think it can be a measuring stick to RJJs drawing power.
Which is ****ing ridiculous in it's own right. The man had more natural talent and boxing skills than these two combined yet drew far less.:-(
He was a defense first boxer, these are almost never big PPV draws. They need the opponant to be the draw.