Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are one month out from their May 2 blockbuster bout that promises to break all kinds of records for a boxing event. Ticket pricing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena has been set at a range of $1,500 to $10,000, which will yield $74 million in gate receipts, almost four times the previous record of $20 million for Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarezin 2013. The foreign rights to the fight sold for a record $35 million, according to Top Rank head Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao.
The wild card in whether the fight ultimately grosses $400 million or $500 million is the pay-per-view number. Mayweather-Alvarez holds the current record with $152 million in PPV receipts and around $200 million for total revenue. The current record for PPV buys is 2.5 million for Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. The May fight is expected to crush both PPV numbers with at least 3 million fans buying the fight, grossing more than $300 million.
The paydays for Mayweather and Pacquiao will be determined by the PPV buys and the ongoing negotiated split between the pay-TV distributors and HBO/Showtime. The usual split is 50-50, but HBO and Showtime are proposing to keep 70% of the pot this go around with most of that filtering down to the fighters. The fighters are set to split their share of the pot 60-40 in Mayweather's favor.
It promises to be a historic payday for both fighters with Mayweather likely to earn at least $150 million and Pacquiao more than $100 million. The paychecks can soar much higher if PPV buys blow past three million. Mayweather's haul translates to the biggest yearly earnings by an athlete ever, breaking Tiger Woods' inflation-adjusted record of $125 million for 2008. Mayweather will set the record with 36 minutes of work in the ring no matter what he does the rest of the year. Mayweather's earnings could reach $200 million over the last 12-months if you factor in his Sept. 2014 bout with Marcos Maidana, where he pocketed $32 million.
There have been 14 instances of active athletes making $100 million over the course of 12 months, including endorsements and adjusted for inflation...
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