1. Mayweather Pacquiao The Biggest Payday in Sports’ History
PJ Mc Grane February 2015
After years of will they won’t they, boxing fans can rejoice that Floyd Mayweather and Manny
Pacquiaohave finallyironedoutadeal tocreate the biggestfightof ageneration.There weregenuine
fears that it could have become the greatest fight to never happen but thankfully the two fighters
have managedto forge a deal.Since the fighthas beenannounceda lothas beensaid aboutit being
the biggest purse in boxing history, a feat of indescribable magnitude.
The fighthasbeen5yearsinthe makingsomanyask,whattooksolong.Yesthere were sportsrelated
issuessuchas bloodtesting.Howeverthe negotiationsonthe corporate sideappeartohave beenthe
biggestproblem. The fightwill be co-promotedby Top Rank and Mayweatherpromotions.However
itisthe associationof these companies andfighters withtwodifferentcableproviders HBO(Pacquiao)
andShowtime (Mayweather) thathascreatedalotof difficulties.The twohave onlyeverco-broadcast
one fightbefore andthatwasbetweenLennoxLewisandMike Tyson.Thatreallyputs the significance
of thisfightintoperspective. A phone call betweenthe twofightersin2012 couldn’tsettle the purse.
Pacquiaowanteda 50/50 splitbutMayweatherofferedaflat$40 millionfee whichwouldhave been
the biggest pay day of Pacquiao’s career. The two met for the first time in person at a Miami Heat
game earlier in the year where they exchanged phone numbers and apparently went back to
Pacquiao’shotel andcontinueddiscussions.Itis believedthiswasa pivotal pointin the negotiations
as the fighters agreed a 60/40 split. The two men were able to find common ground without the
bureaucracy of their promoters.
So after the painstaking negotiations what will the fight generate in revenue. Everyone is expecting
thisfightto break recordsin everypossibleway.Despite the factthatthe fightwill cost around $100
on the box office comparedtothe standard$50/60 dollars price fora fightitwon’tsurprise anyone if
it smashesthe records.2.5 millionPPV buys &$150 millionPPV revenue are the currentrecords but
withthe mainstreamappealof the 2namesinvolvedthisissure tobreak these records.4millionbuys
whichisa reasonable estimate byall accounts wouldgenerate around200 millionforthe purse after
the broadcasters take their cut. The gate revenue is likelyto top 40 million. This has been the most
inconsistentfiguretoexamine.Some sourcesare claimingticketswillcostbetween $1000 and $4000,
othersare sayingitcouldbe between$8000 and $11000. Howeverthe moststaggeringnumber came
from possiblyone of the most reliable sources. SkySportsreported thatagenciesare sellingringside
tickets for around $100,000. The amazing thing is that these premium prices will not deter anyone.
There isno fightthatwill generate acomparable levelof interestamongcasual fightfansandgeneral
sportingfansfor2 simple reasons.The 2fightersinvolved are the 2 twobiggestnamesinanycombat
sport and I include MMA when I say that. Also despite both being past their prime they are quite
simplythe bestthat the sport has to offer.One mustalso considerthe fact that the fighthas been5
yearsinthe works andthis hasdrawnfansinto the on-off-on-off sagawhichhas finally concluded.The
story that has built up will make the fight unmissable.
So the multi-million dollar question; how much will the men earn. Bullish estimates are predicting
Mayweathertotake home $150millionwhichwoulddoublehiscurrentrecordandPacquaiotopocket
$100 million.Howeverthe more consensual estimatesexpectMayweatherandPacquiaotoearn$120
and $80 milliondollarsrespectivelymakingitundoubtedlythe richestfightinhistoryandpossiblythe
biggestpaydayinsport. Cynicswill saythatthe twofightersare pasttheirprime anditwill be ananti-

2. climacticboutbutas a boxingfanI’dlike topointoutAli andFrazierwere well pasttheirbestbytheir
thirdfight,yetthe ‘Thrilla’inManila’isstillpossiblythe mosticonicfightinhistory. WithMaywether’s
glamour and showmanship, Pacquiao’s honestly and underdog tag, not to mention the skill,
excitementand titles thatbothfighterswill bringtoLas Vegas;onMay 2nd
we will witnessone of the
most iconic fights in the history of the boxing. A fight that will breakmind boggling revenue records
but more importantly, a fight that will cement the legacies of the 2 of the greatest fighters ever.