After drawing career-high PPV numbers in his May bout with Shane Mosley, Pacquiao proved he is developing an audience beyond anyone's previous expectations.
The Showtime card drew more than 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, according to
ESPN's Dan Rafael, and that came against an opponent who nobody really expected to challenge boxing's biggest star.
So, what kind of numbers will be drawn when he takes on a man he has yet to beat decisively and has arguably lost to not once, but twice?
Depending on the success of HBO's 24/7 series, which will begin Oct. 22nd, this fight could hit upwards of 1.5 million buys, and that will be impressive. It could easily exceed that depending on the hype that goes into the fight, and it's already been high.
Past buyrates for Pacquiao's pay-per-view fights include 1.25 million for his 2009 bout with Oscar De La Hoya and over a million buys for fights versus Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.