The superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is apparently closer than its even been before. Promoter Bob Arum said that Pacquiao, Pacquiao’s camp, and Mayweather’s camp have all agreed to terms, and the last remaining hangup for the planned fight on May 2nd at the MGM Grand is approval from the most important man in the deal – Mayweather himself.
In addition to agreeing on the date and venue, both sides have agreed to a 60/40 split of revenue that would favor Mayweather, which could lead to his purse approaching a ridiculous $120 million. The MGM Grand would be scaled so that the most expensive tickets would cost $5,000, and the live gate would be worth as much as $40 million, nearly double the previous record of just over $20 million for Mayweather’s fight with Canelo Alvarez in 2013.
Because Pacquiao has a contract with Showtime and Mayweather has one with HBO, it’s not immediately certain where the fight would be broadcast, though it’s expected that the two networks will collaborate. The PPV revenue from the fight would obviously be off the charts, likely surpassing the record 2.2 million buys and $150 million that Mayweather-Alvarez brought in.
If the fight finally does happen, it would be the focus of the sports world. May is a traditionally popular time of the year for big fights thanks to a somewhat light sporting calendar (early rounds of the NBA, NHL playoffs and early season baseball), and the lack of competition would turn all eyes to the fight. It’s taken this long for the fight to get this close, and hopefully it finally comes to fruition.
[Yahoo]
