Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury: HBO Viewing Numbers Revealed for Title Fight

Over a million viewers tuned in to HBO as Tyson Fury claimed Wladimir Klitschko's WBA, WBO and IBF titles in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Saturday.

The Manchester-born fighter pulled off one of modern boxing's biggest shocks as he beat the Ukrainian—the dominant force in the heavyweight division for the last decade—by unanimous decision.

According to Jake Donovan of Boxing Scene, the fight at the Esprit Arena averaged 1.038 million viewers on HBO, a remarkable figure considering it did not air in prime time—the fight began at 5:20 p.m. ET—and was up against the free-to-air coverage of the Iron Bowl.  

The report adds that the figures represent the 10th-best ratings for a fight on HBO in 2015 and that, "combined with the exclusive rebroadcast in prime time, Fury-Klitschko drew 1.714 million viewers."

While it was a historic event in terms of the result, the fight itself was widely criticised as boring, per boxing writer Tom Craze:

Fury had a game plan and he stuck to it, keeping out of Klitschko's reach while making some telling blows throughout the clash.

The 39-year-old Klitschko has already announced that he will take up the contractual option of a rematch, and many viewers will be hoping for more fireworks when the pair clash again in 2016.

Klitschko will be desperate for the chance to reclaim his belts and may well call time on his glittering career if he loses again—or perhaps even if he wins.

If Fury wins the rematch, then he will further add to his reputation, and his options for future fights will be numerous.

Excitingly, WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder called him out, and the pair could meet in the future for a unification clash:

Similarly, up-and-coming British heavyweight Anthony Joshua believes that he can challenge the new champion of the world, per Sky Sports.

First things first, though—Fury will have to take on Klitschko again, and HBO's bigwigs will surely be happy that the rematch is on considering how big a draw Saturday's fight turned out to be.