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Floyd Mayweather, Jr versus Manny Pacquiao. Though some of the luster may be off of the match-up, it’s still the biggest fight in boxing. It’s the fight everyone wants to see. However the bill might keep this particular violent entree away. Never mind the myriad of reasons the fight has been delayed until now, the size of the pie and how it’s divided keeps this fight a daydream.
When a fight is broadcast on a premium network such as HBO or Showtime, the cable provider is footing the bill for the services of the fighters. When an event is on PPV, the promoter or promoters foot the bill and handle the logistics of marketing and staging the event. For a PPV, the promoter enters into various distribution and marketing deals in order to pay for the event. In this PPV scenario, the promoter is betting that what they spend on promoting the PPV fight is less than the amount of homes that buy it. How they do that is by attracting not just the hardcore fan but the casual sports fan and in some special cases, the non-sport fan who loves a good spectacle.
Pacquiao-Mayweather, at least in the late 2009-early 2010, had the hardcore-casual-non-sports fan triumvirate of interest. In 2014, with Pacquiao two fights removed from being knocked ice cold by Juan Manuel Marquez, not so much. That face plant hit Sportscenter, twitter, facebook, and the Memeverse so hard, it is hard to sell Pacquiao as a threat against Mayweather in 2014. But lack of danger isn’t the only obstacle here. There are more than a few reasons why Pacquiao-Mayweather likely won’t happen.
But let’s assume for argument’s sake that Algieri, a lanky fighter with a difficult style, loses badly to Pacquiao and that victory convinces people that the Pacman is back.
Let’s forget that Mayweather has two more fights left on his Showtime contract that guarantees him two more $32 million paydays against fighters that don’t have to be Pacquiao. And we’ll pretend that Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum and Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon will bury the hatchet and work together. While we’re at it, throw in that HBO and Showtime will do as they did for the belated super fight between then heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis and a faded Mike Tyson and work together to broadcast the bout. Add in that both guys agree to undergo random drug testing up to the night of the fight and a 50-50 purse split. Do all that and still, two important questions still remain:
- How much are the fighters getting paid?
- How much will you have to pay to see it?
In today’s PPV market, $60 for “regular” viewing and $70 for high-definition has quickly become the standard. For Mayweather’s first bout with Maidana in May, the price for HD was 74.95. It went up to 77.99 for the rematch. Did the price go up because the match-up featured two superstars? No. Mayweather’s minimum guaranteed salary for both fights was $32 million. In the first fight, Maidana was guaranteed $1.5 million plus an additional 1.5 million for wearing the gloves Mayweather told him to. Maidana’s rematch guarantee was $3 million. Past a certain number of PPV buys, both were to receive a cut of the PPV profits of both fights.
The highest grossing fight of all time was 2007’s Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather. Priced at $55, the fight did 2.4 million buys and generated over $130 million in domestic PPV sales. In base and PPV percentage earnings, De La Hoya made $52 million to Mayweather’s $25 million.
For the fight everyone wants to see, Mayweather is likely going to want more than 32 mil guaranteed. Pacquiao’s base salary is somewhat less than Mayweather’s but for this fight it will still be an exorbitant fee. We’ll estimate the fighter’s purses at $50 million apiece. That’s $100 million right off the top. Plus the promoter and cable providers’ cuts. Not to mention the marketing budget, undercard purses, and other expenses. All that tallied, there is no way Mayweather vs Pacquiao is priced at anything less than $100 for HD viewing.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr is 37 years old to Manny Pacquiao’s 35. Mayweather’s legs are starting to go but he still has the defensive skill and the jab to keep Pacquiao at bay. The “Pacman” hasn’t knocked anyone out since 2009. Though he is strong for twelve rounds, the murderous puncher that iced Ricky Hatton in two rounds is long gone. To me, the milk went bad long ago. Considering where both men are in their careers, at the very least well past their primes, is “The Fight” really worth the price tag after all?
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Gabriel Montoya Co-producer/Co-host: Leave it in the Ring, The Next Round radio shows : Leaveitintheringradio.com You can follow Gabriel Montoya on Twitter: twitter.com/@Gabriel_Montoya
