Floyd Mayweather Jr. will meet Manny Pacquiao on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a 12-round megabout which has been in the making for five years.
The fight will make both boxers richer than ever with Mayweather earning $120 million or more, while Pacquiao’s share of the prize money will be around $80 million. The undefeated American is the early a 2 1/2-1 favorite, a situation which will result in millions wagered in Nevada’s legal sports books.
Likewise, the match between two of boxing’s best fighters of this generation is expected to shatter every financial record including record at the box office. MGM expects more than $20-million live gate income while the pay-per-view revenue, a joint venture between competing networks Showtime and HBO, is also projected to reach record high.
Promoter Bob Arum likened the interest generated by the upcoming fight with a US Super Bowl. However most boxing observers believe both boxers have lost some of their skills. Mayweather, who is unbeaten in 47 fights, is 38, while Pacquiao is 36.
On the contrary boxing pundit still believe Mayweather remains a master defensive fighter and Pacquiao still possess has remarkable quickness in his hands. For the record, Mayweather has only stopped one fighter in the last eight years; while the last time Pacquiao stopped anyone was in 2009.
Mayweather said Pacquiao will be No. 48 in the list of his ring victims. Trainer Freddie Roach countered by saying that on May 2, Pacquiao will put the American on his backside.
