1.25 Million PPV Buys for Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz
Golden Boy finally released the Pay Per View numbers for last month's Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz fight in Las Vegas and they’re solid: 1.25 million buys and $78.4 million in revenue. Among non-heavyweight fights that’s second in revenue behind Mayweather-de la Hoya and third in purchases after Mayweather-Mosely.
“My motto is ‘hard work and dedication’ and I have shown this throughout my entire career, which has allowed me to go out and perform each time I step in the ring,” said Mayweather. “I give the fans everything I have with the best competition and exciting fights. I must be doing something right as they keep buying my fights and I appreciate their tremendous support.”
“Every time Floyd steps into the ring, he reminds us that he is the greatest fighter in the sport today and certainly its biggest star,” added Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.
Friend of the site David Greisman tweeted that the numbers are accurate per an HBO source, which is good enough for us. They confirm Mayweather remains the sport’s biggest draw, having now taken part in its three most lucrative contests below maximum weight.
“Starpower showed again why they call him "MONEY” Mayweather,“ Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said. "When it comes to pay-per-view, Floyd is clearly in a league of his own.
There has been talk that Floyd’s demand of $100 million to fight Pacquiao is absurd; Manny himself claimed as much himself in an interview with The Telegraph’s Gareth Davis yesterday. But from where we sit, it’s Floyd that seems to grok the appeal of the fight better than his Filipino counterpart.
We’re sure Bob Arum would like nothing more than to shortchange both fighters and take a larger share of the revenue, while Manny reportedly shows little savvy when it comes to financial matters. Not so with Floyd, who has used his position of influence to nab himself a better business arrangement than basically any professional athlete in the world.
Mock Floyd for his infrequent trips to the ring, hate him for his obnoxious flaunting of his wealth, but please don’t try to argue that he doesn’t know his own value. Many promoters would consider demanding a portion of the gate, concessions and memorabilia sales audacious; doubtless Arum would throw a fit if such a request were made by Pacman’s handlers. But that’s exactly what Floyd gets and his payday from last month’s fight will likely far exceed the $25 million he was guaranteed on fight night.
Which means Money stands to make between $30 and $40 million from fighting Victor Ortiz, who was overmatched, known only to boxing fans and didn’t bring a significant fanbase of his own to the fight. Suddenly $50 million to fight Pacquiao doesn’t sound so great. Perhaps $100 million is a bridge too far, but if the fight is made we would be shocked to see Floyd walk away with less than a cool $75 million.
It’s called negotiating, and while Pacman’s side has shown they are effective at using the press to convey their position, it doesn’t make their stance any more reasonable. Floyd knows they’re trying to sell him short on what would easily be the highest-grossing boxing match of all-time. To paraphrase the Mayweather philosophy, he’s not going to let them mess with his paper. Pay the man his due and he just might get in the ring.