Scared Or Not, Floyd Mayweather Is Brilliant
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By DERON SNYDER
Like every other boxing fan on Earth, I would love to see Floyd “Money” Mayweather fight Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao. Whether the bout could live up to its hype or be as entertaining as Mayweather’s unanimous decision Saturday against Miguel Cotto is questionable. But there’s no doubt that the highly anticipated match would be the richest fight in boxing history.
Unfortunately, the money might not be enough to entice Mayweather. His $32 million guarantee Saturday was a Nevada record, topping the $30 million that Mike Tyson was guaranteed for his 1997 rematch against Evander Holyfield. In his last three fights, Mayweather has been guaranteed a total of $79.5 million, which doesn’t include his considerable take from pay-per-view sales, concessions and other revenue.
“This is just a testament to Floyd’s [market] power,” said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s closest adviser and CEO of Mayweather Promotions. “Floyd Mayweather is a one-man walking conglomerate. Over the last 12 months, he is the highest-paid athlete in sports.”
Mayweather will be Nevada’s highest-paid inmate as of June 1, when he begins serving an 87-day sentence for misdemeanor domestic violence. He faced more than 30 years before accepting a plea bargain and later winning a petition to delay his incarceration until after Saturday’s fight. He convinced Judge Melissa Saragosa that his bout on Cinco de Mayo would have a $100 million impact on the Las Vegas economy.
That was quick thinking, but he’ll still have plenty of time to ponder the question of meeting Pacquiao. Mayweather has gone back and forth in that regard, calling out Pacquiao in a series of tweets in January after arguably ducking him for two years. But Mayweather doused hopes a few days before the Cotto fight, again accusing Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs to increase in size and strength.
