Corona will be the "main sponsor" for Saturday's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Conor McGregor boxing match, as the beer brand will receive "center-of-the-mat placement, ring girls and inclusion in the broadcast," according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. It is not known what Corona paid, but the "original asking price for the sponsorship, along with a suite of branded areas," was $10M. BodyArmor also will have "prime placement," as all fights on the entire card will feature "towels and stools in the fighters' corners" with the sports drink's logo (ESPN.com, 8/22). Mayweather also has signed a deal with high-end tequila brand Avion. The deal will see an etched likeness of Mayweather appear on a limited number of Avion Reserva 44 Extra Anejo Tequila bottles. The 150 bottles will be autographed by Mayweather and will retail for $1,500 each (THE DAILY).
ONE-MAN BRAND: In London, Tim Crow wrote Mayweather's "success in building his own commercial empire is unparalleled among sport’s star names." Most athletes "follow a familiar model when it comes to building their business." Take the checks that "come from big salaries and big endorsements and let others take the risks." For the first half of his career, Mayweather "was on this well-trodden path." But in '06, he pivoted, "turning down the highest purse of his career" -- $8M -- and buying himself out of his Top Rank contract for $750,000 to become a free agent. It worked. He set up his own boxing promotional firm, Mayweather Promotions, and "promptly" made $25M from his '07 fight against Oscar De La Hoya, which "smashed previous revenue and pay-per-view records." Over the next 10 years, through 13 fights, two retirements, two comebacks and 87 days in jail, Mayweather has taken his career earnings to $700M, the "vast majority of it since he bought himself out of Top Rank, and broken every boxing financial record." Of the top 10 highest-grossing fights in history, Mayweather has been "involved in seven" (London TELEGRAPH, 8/22).
