By Eric Bottjer
Black fighters don’t sell tickets”
It’s a cliché I’ve heard in boxing for 30 years, one that is generally accepted without thought. Floyd Mayweather Jr,should have ended this nonsense about black boxers – he’s one-half of FIVE of the top 10 grossest boxing events in history. But somehow an asterisk was attached to these huge attendance and pay-per-view figures. Floyd “needed” Oscar De La Hoya and Conor McGregor to do the then record-breaking numbers of those fights.
There should be no asterisk next to Tank Davis. He sells. He not only sells, he does the biggest numbers in boxing today, comparable with what Canelo Alvarez was doing five to 10 years ago. Tank is top dog in 2024 and those nipping at his heelsare also noir. Bud Crawford sells. Shakur Stevenson sells. So does Boots Ennis. Keyshawn Davis is now selling. Claressa Shields sells. Yes, Claressa, who gets savaged on various platforms, ironically by fans and industry folk who simultaneously claim that nobody cares about her, yet they care enough about her to take the time to publicly rip her – she sells.
There’s plenty of controversy from Saturday’s Davis v. Lamont Roach fight, and rightly so. But the numbers Tank did – and has done – should bury the belief that boxing fans ignore the black American fighters. The Davis-Roach attendance was announced at 19,250. Most in the industry know that these numbers that are thrown out fight night are often the invention of flaks. Saturday night’s announced number was real, even if the exact number turns out to be just south or north of the 19,250 figure. On fight night, scalpers were getting at least $300 for the cheapest tickets (face value of $106). “This was the biggest event I’ve done at Barclays Center,” said Jim Boone of KO Tickets, the business’s biggest ticket broker. “Demand accelerated during fight week and there were a lot of people outside on fight night (looking to get in).”
The gate has not been announced, but it’s in the neighborhood of$10 million. Barclays Center folks already stated it’s the second-highest grossing event in the building’s history, next to a Rolling Stones concert. Whatever the gross gate comes in at, it will be perhaps half of what Tank v. Ryan Garcia did in Las Vegas in 2023: $22.8 million, the fifth-highest gate ever and the biggest since Mayweather-McGregor. Tank’s sales translate to pay-pre-view buys. The Garcia fight did 1.2 million, and unheard-ofnumber in the era of paid-TV piracy. His previous fight (before Saturday), against unknown Frank “The Ghost” Martin, did approximately 350,000 buys – only a star does a number like that without a known dance partner (Tank-Martin did a $14 million gate at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas). Tank’s appeal is not only regional. Boone remembers hundreds of fans outside of Staples Center desperate for tickets the night of Tank-Pitbull Cruz three years ago.
So why does Tank sell? First, he can fight. He’s a pound-for-pounder today and he’s in the discussion of all-time great lightweights. But that does not guarantee big sales (see: TeofimoLopez, Devin Haney). You need more than superior ability. You need authenticity. Whether you like Tank or not, you believehim. He’s not packaged or produced. Combine that with the “it” factor – whatever “it” is, Tank has that – and you have a fighter who sells.
What has perhaps pushed him to No. 1 is Tank lurks in the social media world on his own, without filters or pre-packaged statements. Influencers are drawn to him and create contact that promotes Tank on various platforms. “If you’re in that world, if you’re in the hip-hop world, you’re probably a Tank Davis fan,” says PBC pr man Tim Smith. It creates a dynamic where Tank Davis fights are must-see events with beacons of hip-hop and social media leaders who mirror Tank’s generation (early 20s to early 30s). PBC, to its’ credit, does not muzzle Tank. You can cherry pick some crudeness that’s part of Tank’s make-up and conclude, well, that he’s a bad guy. There’s public domestic squabbles. Crude misogynistic statements.
You don’t have to look hard. But there’s also a playfulness (“impish,” is Smith’s word for Tank’s attractive personality traits), a dazzling smile and a genuine love of performing. He respects the fans and the dangerous game that he plays. He’s been in this world 22 years now (he had his first amateur fight at age 8) and he’s already talking of retirement. When one goes all in for that long, it can make a 30-year-old man feel middle-aged.
Before he leaves us, Tank has a few enticing stops. After Tank’s narrow escape Saturday, Eddie Hearn posted a picture of his newest charge, Shakur Stevenson. Tank-Shakur at Madison Square Garden sells out. The pair have been talking online – each claiming the other wants no part of this fight. I hope they’re both wrong.
