Boxing News 2014: Experts Estimate Mayweather-Maidana Rematch Got Only 850,000 PPV Buys; Only Pacman-Money May Match Will Rekindle Interest in Sport

Boxing experts agree that it is high time that Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao meet on the ring because the dream match is the only one event that at this point could rekindle interest in boxing and boost pay-per-view (PPV) buys.

The two boxing superstars used to be guaranteed PPV drawers, but their last two bouts with lesser-known opponents bought disappointing results for Showtime and HBO.

The last time that Showtime raked in the money from Mayweather's fight was when he fought Canelo Alvarez in September 2013 which generated the record 2.2 million PPV buys. His first bout versus Marcos Maidana in May 2014 got only between 850,000 and 900,000 PPV buys.

While there are no official figures yet for Mayweather's rematch against Maidana for their Saturday match, James Gogue, a boxing expert and fight manager, estimated at The Pugilist Korner radio show of Joseph Herron that the rematch probably generated PPV buys of only 850,000, below expectations of more than 1 million.

Gogue said, "I heard through the grapevine from a reliable source ... pay-per-view sales were not going [well] when I got there (Las Vegas) Thursday," quoted by Fightsaga.com.

On the other hand, Manny Pacquiao's fight versus Brandon Rios in April got only 450,000 PPV buys.

Gogue and Herron both think only the dream match, speculated to take place in May 2015, would once more boost PPV buys.

However, sports blogger Dennis Cruz asked if the Mayweather poor PPV buys was the result of a female fan boycott movement initiated by Sarah Spain of ESPNW.com in the light of accusations by Mayweather's ex-fiance, Shantel Jackson, that she suffered domestic violence in the hands of her former lover. She filed a lawsuit against Money May just days before his rematch with Maidana.

This led Spain to push fans of the boxer not to buy PPV access for the Sept 13 bout, writing, "If sports fans want to take a stand against domestic violence in a powerful way that undeniably have an impact, they should boycott Mayweather's fight this weekend."

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Spain further asked, "How can one watch him box without picturing his fists pummeling not his opponent, but a defenseless woman? How can one acknowledge his fighting prowess without wondering how many women have fallen victim to it outside the ring?"

So far, there are three women who were former partners of the boxer who had complained of domestic violence, and Mayweather had spent time in jail for one of the complaints. His two current girlfriends are not complaining yet since they are apparently on a "honeymoon" stage as evidenced by the lavish gifts Money May has given them.

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The blogger, who anticipated dismal PPV buys for the Saturday rematch, acknowledges that the low PPV buys could not be because of Mayweather's domestic violence issues or refusal in the past to fight Pacquiao but due to fans' "refusal to pay big money for an inferior product."

Expected high PPV buys at the dream match would prove Cruz's theory that a boxing match worth the hard-earned money of boxing fans would draw record-high PPV buys even if the opponents have tons of personal issues behind them.

Meanwhile, Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of Money May, gives his lopsided two-cents worth about the dream match in this video.

YouTube/Hustle Boss