Leonard Ellerbe went to work for Floyd Mayweather as a conditioning coach shortly after the boxer turned pro coming off the 1996 Olympics. He soon became Mayweather’s close friend and trusted business adviser. Today, he is CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which generated more than $500 million in one night with the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view event last month. Ellerbe talks here about that record-setting show, the company’s role promoting Premier Boxing Champions events on NBC and CBS later this month, and the importance of both for the sport.
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People who would not normally be able to see these young fighters fight are going to be able to watch them, and that will not only help them personally, but it will bring a broader awareness back to the sport.”
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Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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On selling 4.4 million PPVs: Privately, I would have said, “Yes, that’s possible,” but if I had said that publicly, people would have said we were crazy. Remember, I’m working with the first athlete to ever generate $100 million-plus in one night. Who would have ever thought something like that would happen? Who would have ever thought that an athlete would make over $200 million in one year? If I had told somebody that three years ago, they’d have said I was full of crap. So while these might seem like things you could never achieve, privately, we have a great deal of confidence in our ability to do those things.
On working with rival promoter Top Rank: In all honesty, it was a very, very tough challenge, because a lot of factions came into play and a lot of egos. Top Rank has always had a certain comfort level with driving the train. On this particular ride, they weren’t driving the train; they had to take a seat just like anybody else would. … But this is all part of doing business. You don’t necessarily have to like somebody to do business with them.
On promoting PBC events: We’ll be able to help bring greater awareness to the PBC. It’s a tremendous fit. There are probably three-quarters of the [PBC] fighters — and I’m not exaggerating — who have reached out to Floyd and myself and have wanted us to work with them, because a lot has to do with, honestly, a fighter doing his part and a promoter doing their part. I think a lot of the fighters have been able to understand that the impact that Floyd has had on the sport has directly affected them.
On what this year could mean for boxing: It means everything. The visibility, the awareness: It’s just been phenomenal. And it’s what we had to have happen. As Floyd makes this transition and as Manny retires, you have a number of exciting young fighters up and coming. It’s just a matter of them understanding and listening when they’re told what it takes. I can’t say enough about what a great plan [Mayweather manager and PBC founder] Al Haymon had with implementing this whole PBC.
