Floyd Mayweather Jr. will meet Manny Pacquiao on May 2 in a "welterweight showdown that will be boxing's richest fight ever," according to Tim Dahlberg of the AP. Mayweather "could earn" $120M or more, while Pacquiao's split of the purse "will likely be" around $80M. Dahlberg: "It finally came together in recent months with both fighters putting aside past differences over various issues -- including drug testing and television rights" (AP, 2/20). In Las Vegas, Steve Carp reported it is a "one-fight deal with no rematch clause." The PPV for the fight "will be a collaborative production effort between HBO and Showtime on a channel separate from the two networks." The cost of the PPV, as well as ticket prices and date for public sale, "will be made public later." The gate "is expected to surpass" $40M, which would "more than double the record" of $20.1M set in September '13 for Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/21). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole reported while formal details have yet to be announced, it is "expected that Mayweather will have a 60-40 split advantage on revenues" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/20). In L.A., Lance Pugmire wrote it "took more than half a decade to make the fight of this generation." Ringside seats "will sell for $5,000." Allowing negotiations to succeed was Pacquiao's "willingness to take a smaller cut of the purse, Mayweather's interest in pursuing the bout, plus the involvement of an effective mediator" in CBS President & CEO Les Moonves, whose company owns Showtime (L.A. TIMES, 2/21).
BLESS LES: Top Rank Chair Bob Arum said, "It was the persistence of Les Moonves that got everyone talking rationally. With Les pushing it, people around this started acting like adults. Myself included." The L.A. TIMES' Pugmire reported Moonves sought to bridge Mayweather, Arum and Mayweather adviser/manager Al Haymon, "despite years of strain by pushing them to embrace a shared focus." The problem had long been that the parties "couldn’t effectively communicate" despite their joint interest (L.A. TIMES, 2/21). SI.com's Chris Mannix noted negotiations were "at least the third in the last six years." Moonves, Arum and Haymon "conducted detailed discussions over the last few months." A "key moment in negotiations was a chance meeting" between Mayweather and Pacquiao last month at a Heat game. Mayweather's name will be first "on the fight bill," and he "will walk to the ring second and be introduced second." Sources said that Mayweather Promotions "will be the lead promoter of the fight." That distinction means Mayweather "will have final say in event planning, from the press conferences to the in-arena entertainment" (SI.com, 2/20). Showtime Sports Exec VP & GM Stephen Espinoza said, "Really the thing that made the difference was Leslie Moonves. ... He acted as the mediator who bridged the very significant gaps between the fighters and the promoters and two competing networks" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/21). But the AP's Dahlberg wrote this fight is happening most of all "because Mayweather himself finally decided the time was right and the money was so big ... that he would risk his unbeaten mark and his legacy." While it is "happening five years too late," that "doesn't make it any less intriguing" (AP, 2/21).
TV TALK: In Boston, Cynthia Littleton wrote the telecast is "expected to clear well over" $150M and "set new PPV records, which explains why Showtime and HBO put down their dukes." The fight "will be staged in Las Vegas at a venue to be announced." Details of the broadcast team also "are still being hammered out." It is a "safe bet" that the PPV cost will be "about a $20 premium over the $65-$75 range for Mayweather's recent events" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/21). HBO Sports President Ken Hershman said that the '02 Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fight, which also was done in collaboration with Showtime, "was instrumental in the negotiations." Hershman: "I think it was a real good road map for all of us. It showed that this could be done successfully" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/21).
THE SUPERFIGHT TO END ALL SUPERFIGHTS: HBO’s Jim Lampley said every boxing observer "expects this to be the biggest economic event in the history of the sport.” HBO’s Max Kellerman said, “I would say this is legitimately -- hyperbole aside -- the biggest boxing event ... since Ali-Frazier I. Yes, bigger than Ali-Foreman. … Yes, bigger than the ‘Thrilla In Manila.’" Kellerman: "The world is much more interconnected now. That was pre-Internet and obviously pre-social media. This will be the biggest fight since Ali-Frazier I. That's 44 years, and I think the numbers will bear that out when all is said and done” (“HBO Boxing,” HBO, 2/21). The N.Y. Daily News’ Mike Lupica said, “The buildup to this fight will feel at least a little bit like what it was 1,000 years ago when we were in the run-up to the first Ali-Frazier fight at Madison Square Garden. These fighters aren't those fighters. This fight might not be that fight, or the ‘Thrilla In Manila,’ but it’ll do” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 2/22). ESPN.com's Brian Campbell wrote Mayweather-Pacquiao "will be the most important fight boxing has seen in 30 years (if not more) and clearly one of the biggest stories in all of sports." Campbell: "This fight is bigger right now than it ever could have been, with the journey it took to get here serving as basically a five-year promotion" (ESPN.com, 2/20). In Boston, Ron Borges reported the belief is the fight "could gross as much as" $450M in total revenue. Borges: "Just think what might have happened if these two guys were still the guys the world will be driven to think they are?" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/22). MGM Resorts VP/Race & Sports Jay Rood said, "This is the kind of fight that we'll take a lot of big bets, seven figures." ESPN.com's David Purdum reported statewide handle estimates for Nevada ranged from $30M to "much higher" (ESPN.com, 2/20).
THE BEST THE SPORT CAN OFFER: YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote May 2 "will be a great day for boxing," and "any suggestion otherwise is contrarian ridiculousness." This fight is the "best boxing is going to provide, and gives the sport a chance to move to the forefront for a few days as everyone gets drawn into a strategic battle that will be surrounded by every imaginable bit of pageantry." Wetzel: "At this point, for this sport, it's as good as it gets." What the fight "won't do is 'save' the sport or anything along that vein, even if that's what will almost certainly become a media narrative." Boxing "isn't going to be saved by anything" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/20).
