THIS SHOWS BOXING IS SELLABLE, THE AUDIENCE IS THERE.

per cent of 40- to 64-year-olds and 17 per cent of those 65 and up. MMA has a similarly aged following. Some 34 per cent of adults 18-39 years old say they are MMA fans, compared with 23 per cent of those ages 40-64 and 13 per cent of those ages 65 and up.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum, the legendary promoter, said the mass appeal of the sport was hurt when the big prize fights gravitated to premium cable and pricey pay-perview platforms. “Premium cable, like HBO and Showtime, which have been carrying the orb for boxing for decades now, skew old,” he said. “A lot of younger viewers no longer want to pay a monthly fee for premium cable. So as a result, it’s really choked off boxing.”

For years, Arum and his top deputy Todd duBoef would visit network executives and advertisers and hear how boxing’s older demographic wasn’t a valued audience.

“We couldn’t figure it out. We tried to figure out. We tried to go heavy into social media, do some innovative things, which helped. But it didn’t solve the problem,” Arum said. “We realized the only way to solve the problem is to break out of the mould of premium cable.”

This summer Top Rank has started televising bouts on ESPN, which is available in nearly 40 million more U.S. homes than HBO and Showtime, making top-end fights more accessible for fight fans. Similarly, Premier Boxing Champions has aired shows on a variety of networks, including NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox Sports 1.

Through three broadcasts, Top Rank has been satisfied with its overall ratings — last week’s audience peaked at 1,327,000 viewers — but duBoef was especially pleased when he broke down the numbers. The shows did especially strong with 18-49-year olds. One card even beat a UFC show that aired simultaneously on Fox Sports 1 in that prized demographic. And all the shows have been available over-thetop digitally via ESPN’s apps.

“I’m like holy (wow), this is music to my ears,” said duBoef, Top Rank’s president. “Everybody told me our product was old, didn’t fit the demographics they want, not sellable. But this is showing it’s sellable, the audience is there and boxing fans aren’t just 55-plus.”

Buoyed by the early results, Top Rank and ESPN are expected to announce a new four-year deal on Saturday in Las Vegas, hours before the spotlight shifts to the megafight across town.

Because the McGregorMayweather showdown is a pop culture event as much a sporting competition — oddsmakers peg the brash UFC superstar as a heavy underdog making his boxing debut against a five-division champion — its audience easily could span all age groups and all demographics. Even though the bout pits the stars of different disciplines, UFC president Dana White doesn’t see the event as a competition between boxing and MMA.

“I don’t think it hurts either sport,” he said. “I think this is one of those cool situations where two guys are willing to take the risk to fight each other. And I think that this thing has captured the imagination of people.

“The only thing that I really focus on and it’s always been my philosophy: I hope it’s a good fight. As long as everyone walks away going, ‘Damn, that was a good fight,’ then nobody gets hurt. But if the fight sucks, it’s always bad. It’s bad for all combat sports, boxing and the UFC.” UFC star Conor McGregor, left, will fight Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match that could be the most watched combat sports event in history. About 28 per cent of Americans count themselves as fans of professional boxing, nearly matched by the 25 per cent who say they’re fans of MMA.