Picking up from Part 1 of A Beginner’s Guide to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, we take a deeper look at a few noteworthy aspects surrounding the fight. This includes a short biography on the trainers at the two corners of the ring, as well as a rundown on the official contract settlement and the overall projected earnings. The aforementioned topics provide a tangible scale to measure the unprecedented magnitude of the event, and prove the deep history the bout possesses. In addition, the trainers involved carry a relevant story, pertinent to the development of each combatant as a person and an athlete. Here’s some background information to prepare you for the May 2 spectacle.
The official contract settlement offers many important details, considering it was the focal complication that obstructed the making of the superfight for years. Due to the changes in landscape (most notably Pacquiao’s string of consecutive losses in 2012), many of the disputed factors ended in acquiescence to Mayweather’s favor. Assured by his abilities, Pacquiao has metaphorically compared it to a prisoner’s last supper in HBO’s recent Mayweather/Pacquiao: At Last special — to give the death row inmate what they desire before their eventual slaying.
Coordinating with Mayweather’s previous bouts, the two will meet inside the ring over Cinco De Mayo weekend — May 2 — at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mayweather will receive top billing for the bout, meaning his name will be listed principally in any promotional efforts. To further emphasize his importance over Pacquiao, Mayweather will also have first choice of ring corner and locker room in the arena. Additionally, the contract states that Pacquiao will be entering the ring and also introduced before Mayweather.
In the end, Pacquiao would succumb to Mayweather and his random blood and urine drug testing demands. Commissioned to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the testing will be done in ordinance with the protocols of the World Anti-Doping Agency. This will last throughout the duration of training camp, up until the night of the fight. A failed test by either boxer will result in a minimum four-year ban, likely resulting in an early retirement for the implicated fighter. It is worth noting that USADA will be employing an “isotope-ratio mass spectrometry” test. The innovative procedure is capable of distinguishing synthetic testosterone from the naturally generated variety, something that could not be done with older methods of testing. The stringent technology has already caught a slew of professional athletes, proving both fighters’ commitment to eradicating performance enhancing drugs from prizefighting.
Pacquiao’s regular promotion company will also be forced to take a back seat as Mayweather Promotions will have final say over the event organization. This will range from the press conferences to the in-arena entertainment.
For the first time since Lewis vs. Tyson in 2002, HBO and Showtime will be offering the pay-per-view collaboratively. However, the production of the event will be handled by Mayweather’s broadcaster, Showtime. Ring announcers, analysts and interviewers will be delegated among personnel from both networks.
Lastly, the weigh-in limit for the welterweight fight will be at 147 lbs, a weight closer to Pacquiao’s naturally smaller frame than Mayweather, who will have to cut a small amount of water or muscle through diet and dehydration. The two fighters will be able to choose the brand of 8 oz. gloves for the fight, with Mayweather and Pacquiao wearing their regular choice of Grant and Cleto Reyes, respectively. Official titles by three sanctioning bodies will be on the line — Pacquiao’s WBO Welterweight Title, and Mayweather’s WBA (Super) Welterweight Title and WBC Welterweight Title.
Tecate beer will be the official sponsor of the event with a bid of $5.6 million USD, edging Corona’s offer by only $400,000 USD. By outbidding Corona, Tecate will be able to place its logo predominantly at the center of the canvas on fight night as well as any promotional advertisements. Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company, the Mexican Tourism Board, and Smart Communications have also added to the bottom line, which collectively totaled $13.2 million USD, toppling boxing’s previous sponsorship record of $4 million USD.
The two combatants will not be the only record-breaking payday recipients. Veteran referee Kenny Bayless will be the third man in the ring for the fight, officiating the match as chosen by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Bayless will earn a record $25,000 USD for the bout, which will be the seventh and fifth time he has worked with Pacquiao and Mayweather, respectively. Each of the three judges ringside will also earn a substantial paycheck of $20,000 USD each.
According to Manny Pacquiao’s fight promoter Bob Arum, all revenue generated aside from pay-per-view will be distributed in accordance with the contracts of the two fighters. Essentially, the money will be put into a large sum — including the streams from advertisements, foreign broadcast rights, closed-circuit income from bars and theaters, ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise sales, etc. — and distributed between the two fighters in a 60-40 split in favor of Mayweather. The pay-per-view earnings will be divided amongst the satellite providers and broadcasters, as well as the fighters. Everything into consideration, both fighters will receive well over $100 million USD for this singular event.
For the first time in Las Vegas fight history, the weigh-ins will also have an admittance fee. Attendees will be required to pay $10 USD, with all proceeds donated to a charity of the fighter’s choice. Mayweather has chosen the Susan B Komen Foundation, and Pacquaio the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
The Trainers
In Manny Pacquiao’s corner will be Boxing Writers Association of America seven-time trainer of the year, Freddie Roach. After moving to LA as a young boxer, Manny sought out Roach who agreed to take him under his tutelage. Roach and Manny have since developed a strong father-son-like relationship, enduring 30 professional fights together in their careers. Prior to being an immensely successful trainer, Roach competed professionally as a boxer and once contended for a lightweight championship. However, his competitive nature served to be detrimental to his health. Having sustained a considerable amount of damage throughout his career, Roach began showing early signs of Parkinson’s disease in 1985, which has since developed into its full range of symptoms. Following his retirement as a boxer, Roach founded the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. The establishment is currently one of the most renowned gyms in prizefighting, hosting a slew of world champions including former Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr., former Light Welterweight Champion Amir Khan, as well as prominent former UFC and pound-for-pound champions Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva. Roach will be accompanied in Pacquiao’s corner by cutman Justin Fortune, and Pacquiao’s close friend, Buboy Fernandez. Preparing Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for this fight will be his father, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., and his uncle Roger Mayweather. Both relatives have competed professionally as a boxer, and have reached considerable success in their own right. Mayweather, Sr. had the privilege to face off against Hall of Fame boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, whereas Roger Mayweather was a Junior Welterweight Champion. The volatile relationship between Mayweather, Jr. and his father has been a point of focus for many media outlets in the past. Mayweather, Jr. was trained by his father for many years during his childhood where he was taught the defensive tactics which he is now well-known for. However, the relationship took a drastic turn after his father’s incarceration, which lead to Roger Mayweather taking over coaching responsibilities. Following Senior’s release, the relationship with his son went through periods of extremities, both good and bad. Mayweather, Jr. was deeply affected by his father’s criminality, creating tension and disdain between the two. This caused Mayweather, Jr. to relinquish his father’s coaching responsibilities altogether. The rift lasted for many years, with Mayweather, Sr. once offering to prepare an opponent for a bout against Mayweather, Jr.. The relationship has since recovered, and the two have been on positive terms since 2013. On May 2, Mayweather, Jr. will have his father in his corner, along with his longtime cutman Rafael Garcia and his uncle Roger.The Contract
The official contract settlement offers many important details, considering it was the focal complication that obstructed the making of the superfight for years. Due to the changes in landscape (most notably Pacquiao’s string of consecutive losses in 2012), many of the disputed factors ended in acquiescence to Mayweather’s favor. Assured by his abilities, Pacquiao has metaphorically compared it to a prisoner’s last supper in HBO’s recent Mayweather/Pacquiao: At Last special — to give the death row inmate what they desire before their eventual slaying.
Coordinating with Mayweather’s previous bouts, the two will meet inside the ring over Cinco De Mayo weekend — May 2 — at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mayweather will receive top billing for the bout, meaning his name will be listed principally in any promotional efforts. To further emphasize his importance over Pacquiao, Mayweather will also have first choice of ring corner and locker room in the arena. Additionally, the contract states that Pacquiao will be entering the ring and also introduced before Mayweather.
In the end, Pacquiao would succumb to Mayweather and his random blood and urine drug testing demands. Commissioned to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the testing will be done in ordinance with the protocols of the World Anti-Doping Agency. This will last throughout the duration of training camp, up until the night of the fight. A failed test by either boxer will result in a minimum four-year ban, likely resulting in an early retirement for the implicated fighter. It is worth noting that USADA will be employing an “isotope-ratio mass spectrometry” test. The innovative procedure is capable of distinguishing synthetic testosterone from the naturally generated variety, something that could not be done with older methods of testing. The stringent technology has already caught a slew of professional athletes, proving both fighters’ commitment to eradicating performance enhancing drugs from prizefighting.
Pacquiao’s regular promotion company will also be forced to take a back seat as Mayweather Promotions will have final say over the event organization. This will range from the press conferences to the in-arena entertainment.
For the first time since Lewis vs. Tyson in 2002, HBO and Showtime will be offering the pay-per-view collaboratively. However, the production of the event will be handled by Mayweather’s broadcaster, Showtime. Ring announcers, analysts and interviewers will be delegated among personnel from both networks.
Lastly, the weigh-in limit for the welterweight fight will be at 147 lbs, a weight closer to Pacquiao’s naturally smaller frame than Mayweather, who will have to cut a small amount of water or muscle through diet and dehydration. The two fighters will be able to choose the brand of 8 oz. gloves for the fight, with Mayweather and Pacquiao wearing their regular choice of Grant and Cleto Reyes, respectively. Official titles by three sanctioning bodies will be on the line — Pacquiao’s WBO Welterweight Title, and Mayweather’s WBA (Super) Welterweight Title and WBC Welterweight Title.
The Earnings
If the details mentioned previously are too abstract, the enormity of this fight can be tactilely measured through its earnings. Although much of the projected numbers are still highly-speculative, it shows the huge internal and external financial confidence for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. The fight is expected to shatter many sporting records including pay-per-view buys, gate earnings and payout. Only 500-1,000 of the 16,500 seats were available to the general public for purchase, which sold out within 60 seconds. The release was severely delayed due to disputes regarding the allocation of tickets between the venue and the two fighters, proving the immense demand to attend the event. Ticket ranged between $1,500 USD to $10,000 USD, with much more expensive prices on secondary markets. Prior to the release, sellers who did not possess tickets but expected to obtain them offered “spec tickets” on resale sites such as SeatGeek for as high as $30,000 USD. A sold out MGM Grand Garden Arena with face value prices would still generate a gate of $74 million USD, annihilating boxing’s previous record of $20 million USD set by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and. Canelo Alvarez, and becoming the highest grossing sports event of all time. For reference, Super Bowl XLIX took an estimated $60 million USD with a much higher attendance of 70,288 people. In addition to the live-gate record, television records are also expected to shatter. With pay-per-views costing $89.95 USD for standard definition and $99.95 USD for high definition, combined with the expected buy-rate of over 3 million, projected earnings are estimated to be around $300 million USD. This estimated figure beats the previous record of 2.4 million buys and $153.4 million USD in earnings, also held by Mayweather in his bout against Oscar De La Hoya.
Tecate beer will be the official sponsor of the event with a bid of $5.6 million USD, edging Corona’s offer by only $400,000 USD. By outbidding Corona, Tecate will be able to place its logo predominantly at the center of the canvas on fight night as well as any promotional advertisements. Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company, the Mexican Tourism Board, and Smart Communications have also added to the bottom line, which collectively totaled $13.2 million USD, toppling boxing’s previous sponsorship record of $4 million USD.
The two combatants will not be the only record-breaking payday recipients. Veteran referee Kenny Bayless will be the third man in the ring for the fight, officiating the match as chosen by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Bayless will earn a record $25,000 USD for the bout, which will be the seventh and fifth time he has worked with Pacquiao and Mayweather, respectively. Each of the three judges ringside will also earn a substantial paycheck of $20,000 USD each.
According to Manny Pacquiao’s fight promoter Bob Arum, all revenue generated aside from pay-per-view will be distributed in accordance with the contracts of the two fighters. Essentially, the money will be put into a large sum — including the streams from advertisements, foreign broadcast rights, closed-circuit income from bars and theaters, ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise sales, etc. — and distributed between the two fighters in a 60-40 split in favor of Mayweather. The pay-per-view earnings will be divided amongst the satellite providers and broadcasters, as well as the fighters. Everything into consideration, both fighters will receive well over $100 million USD for this singular event.
For the first time in Las Vegas fight history, the weigh-ins will also have an admittance fee. Attendees will be required to pay $10 USD, with all proceeds donated to a charity of the fighter’s choice. Mayweather has chosen the Susan B Komen Foundation, and Pacquaio the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
