Get ready to rumble, boxing fans!
Finally, after years of delays and close calls, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will step into a boxing ring together on May 2nd with the intent to beat each other up. After politics, egos and attitudes prevented the clash of the century, the two fighters got old school and agreed to terms Thursday evening. First reported by Yahoo Sports, the expected split of the revenue earnings will tilt in Floyd’s way, 60-40. That means Manny only takes home 80 million, which isn’t bad for a night’s work of bashing inside a square ring.
The fight comes at a time where the sport is in need of some broad spectacle. MMA and UFC are becoming increasing popular with the short attention span crowd or the other fair portion of entertainment fans who don’t care to watch two guys tap each other for 12 rounds. If you look close enough, there are still brawls in the world of boxing(see that Terrence Crawford and Yuriorkis Gamboa clash of undefeated fighters), but for the most part the sport as a whole is fading away. An entertaining bout between Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao can bring it back. The fight will break several records for Pay Per View buys, gate ticketing and also a purse that will exceed 200 million without breaking a sweat. (more…)