I think what hurt it was the fact the fight started so gotdamn late..shyt ended after 1 in the morning
Have main events at the same time ECW used to come on brehs.
I thought T-Craw had a large following? Or is that just in Omaha
It's just Omaha. I mean, what else is there to do on a Saturday night in Omaha?
You dont have a large following if Gradovich vs Velez gets more viewers than you........on your own card
The main even came on late
The Sergey Kovalev-Bernard Hopkins light heavyweight unification fight on Nov. 8 also began well after midnight
http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/11270/crawford-beltran-ratings-a-disappointment
The bout averaged 1.328 million viewers for HBO’s live first-time airing, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That has to be music to the executives' ears, as it ranks as the second-most viewed fight in the United States in 2014, with little remaining on the schedule that would appear capable of threatening the mark. Only the rematch between super middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera had more viewers, averaging 1.390 for the fight on March 1.
Hopkins-Kovalev peaked at 1.397 million viewers, who saw Kovalev score a first-round knockdown and win a shutout decision against the 49-year-old legend to unify three 175-pound title belts.
http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/tag/_/name/sergey-kovalev
I understand, but regardless if it was a fighter that had a strong fan base, people would've still watched. For example, the Sergey Kovalev vs Bernard Hopkins main event started after midnight as well:
But it still averaged 1.3 million viewers and peaked at 1.4 million viewers
So, it's really not a good enough excuse imo
Crawford has a HUGE built in fanbase in his hometown, but outside of Omaha (and to the general boxing fan), he's not a popular fighter yet.
He's still the 135 King