Boxing News 2013: Manny Pacquiao To Earn $150 Million After Brandon Rios Fight; Mayweather Showdown on Horizon
Manny Pacquiao made his return on top of Mount Olympus of boxing after outclassing Californian brawler Brandon Rios to score a unanimous decision win on Saturday at Cotai Gym in Macau, China.
Through 12 rounds of professional boxing, Pacquiao dissected his flatfooted opponent with peerless combination of speed, agility and power, leaving everybody in the arena in awe of the former pound-for-pound champ's sheer greatness in the ring.
During the post-fight press conference, Rios admitted that Pacquiao's speed was simply too much for him, though he insisted he never got hurt in the match.
"I never got hurt. I never got stunned. I think the quickness just threw me off guard. I feel good. I could go five more rounds," said Rios, who suffered his second consecutive loss after going unbeaten in 32 fights as a professional boxer.
Lucrative Fights on Horizon
According to reports, Pacman pocketed a guaranteed paycheck of $18 million (tax free) from his latest fight, excluding his share in pay-per-view revenue, which is expected to be one of the highest ever due to China's one billion market and flocks of Pacman's followers in the United States.
However, Pacquiao stressed that he's going to fight in Las Vegas next year with the hope of fighting top-caliber opponents like rival Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Anybody who will fight with me, I will fight," Pacquiao told reporters right after his demolition of Rios. "I'm willing to fight Floyd, but it's up to him."
Top-Rank promoter Bob Arum said he has set his sight for showdown between two of the biggest names in boxing: Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr.
The legendary boxing promoter said the mega fight could happen in 2014, if negotiation between both camps finally pushes through. Arum added the figure at stake could go up to as much as $300 million, breaking all kinds of records in the process.
"On our side the answer is yes [the fight can be made in 2014], we're very open to it," Arum told ESPN. "There are ways it can get done, they have to dumb down the rhetoric, we are prepared to dumb down the rhetoric and get it done.
"There is no real impediment to having that fight happen whether it will or not depends completely on the Mayweather side. I can see it happening but I can't predict that it will happen because it takes two to tango," added Arum, who had several failed negotiations with Mayweather's camp regarding a potential fight with Pacquiao before.
If this fight happens, Pacquiao could earn as much as $150 million should Mayweather agree to a 50-50 fight purse split. If not, Pacquiao could still rake up $130 million and his paycheck could go larger when PPV revenue takes into account.
For now, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather rumble remains a product of speculation. There's no clear indication that this fight could really happen next year given the controversy the embroiled both camps. One thing is for sure here, Pacquiao's win puts him back in the boxing map.