On a tablet now so no links, but according to bs it was the highest rated boxing match on ESPN since 2003. Since fight nights on ESPN havedone 800k we can assume it was at least close to 1 million, that is unless they're forgetting about ESPN 2. Personally I don't no how since i couldn't have the stomach to watch it. So you saved boxing, I tried to kill it because I'm a dick like that and hate boxing.
Wladimir isn't the most well-known HW in the world. Not necessarily his fault as the majority of good HWs are Europeans nowadays it seems.
I was shocked how little advertising I saw for it. I'm a moderately serious boxing fan (I watch most big PPVs and almost any decent free fight), and I wasn't really aware of it until a few days before it went down. I would think ESPN would have been pushing it a lot more. I don't watch ESPN other than for combat sports and the NFL so maybe I just missed it, but I think it could have been better advertised.
Not taking away any credit from pulling in those numbers, but its a bit of luck too isn't it? If Maidana lost against AB we would have seen Mayweather/Khan. Boxing's been dead for 100 years btw.