Floyd Mayweather Jr. Wants 2/3 Of The Revenue From Manny Pacquiao Superfight – Report
Boxing's pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants the biggest slice of the cake just to make the long discussed superfight with Manny Pacquiao see the light of day. The American boxer is reportedly seeking 2/3 of the revenue of the fight which includes gate receipts, fight purse and pay-per-view buys according to a report from Sports Illustrated.
"With the buzz for a potential super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao once again reaching a fever pitch, there continue to be indications that the finances of this anticipated showdown will be a significant obstacle. According to a source close to Mayweather, if a Pacquiao fight were to happen, Mayweather would need to receive close to two-thirds of the revenue," Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated said in his latest article.
If this is true, money will still be the biggest obstacle for the fight to happen. While Team Pacquiao has already sent signals that it is willing to take the lesser purse, it is unclear if Manny Pacquiao and his side will relent to "Money Mayweather" taking two-thirds of the revenue. Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum quickly disputed the reports and said that he is in constant communication with CBS Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves and that the number that they are talking of is nowhere near the reported ballpark figure.
The lucrative nature of the superfight has generated a lot of buzz for both camps. Boxing promoter M.Akbar Muhammad one of the backers of an Abu Dhabi investment company, has ponied up $110 million in guaranteed purse to Mayweather camp's just to choose Abu Dhabi as the venue for the fight. The venue is just one talking point given that there are a lot of alternative such as Las Vegas, Dallas, and Macau, China where the last Pacquiao bout against Chris Algieri was held. While estimates place the pay-per-view buys from that fight at just 350,000, Arum said that the revenue they received from just hosting it in China alone more than suffice to counter the middling pay-per-view revenue.
Still, any talking point of a Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-fight will still end in the hands of the reigning pound-for-pound king. Mayweather's camp has been mum the whole time the Filipino boxer has been challenging him to the fight of the century. As early as this month, Las Vegas oddsmaker Jimmy Vacaro has already opened a line for the possible fight with Mayweather a +300 and Pacman, an underdog at -250.