The showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather "is finally set for May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas," according to Gordon Marino of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Mayweather announced the fight, which "figures to be among the most
anticipated in boxing history," on Friday evening through a social-media
app called Shots in which he is an investor. Mayweather wrote underneath a photo of the signed contract, "What the world has been
waiting for has arrived. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on May 2, 2015, is a done deal." In September, Mayweather "briefly opened the door to a Pacquiao fight, but then became mum on the subject." However, according to Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, CBS, the parent company of Showtime, "was eager to make this fight and backroom negotiations churned along." This winter, Pacquiao "checked off Mayweather's wish list, a 60/40 split of the purse money, random drug testing, and even the type of gloves to be worn during the bout." The breakthrough "may have come" on Jan. 27 when Mayweather and Pacquiao both attended the same NBA Miami Heat game. They "exchanged phone numbers and spoke privately." Afterward, the momentum toward the bout "appeared to increase dramatically" (WSJ, 2/20). In London, Kieran Gill reported tickets for the $250M bout between Mayweather and Pacquiao are "already being flogged for as much as $26,500" on ticketnetwork.com. Those "hoping to witness the blockbuster will have to spend big." While ringside seats are being priced at $26,500, the same website's cheapest ticket was $5,060. Mayweather is "understood to have commanded a 60-40 split of the purse," meaning he will rake in a minimum $150M and Pacquaio at least $100M (DAILY MAIL, 2/21). In Las Vegas, Steve Carp reported the pay-per-view TV of the fight "will be a collaborative production effort between HBO and Showtime on a channel separate from the two networks." The gate "is expected to surpass" $40M, which would "more than double the record" of $20.1M set in Sept. '13 (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/20).
