Pair will face each other on May 2 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas…
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao will continue to dominate the sporting headlines ahead of their May 2 bout, but here are all the important details of the fight.
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What is generally known is that the pair will meet on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and it will in all probability shatter various records in terms of revenue, global reach and viewing figures.
In addition, broadcasters HBO and Showtime have reached an agreement to produce and distribute a joint pay-per-view telecast with various responsibilities of fight night being split between the two.
However, key aspects of the fight have also now been released, and while some may consider them of lesser significance, it begins to paint a picture as to why negotiations perhaps took as long as they did.
Weight limit, titles and rematch clause
Essentially, Mayweather will be defending his WBC and WBA welterweight titles while Pacquaio will put his WBO strap on the line with the maximum weight set at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
For British boxing fans in particular, there are three intriguing months ahead as provided he comes through his title defence on March 28, we could be looking at a situation where Mayweather or Pacquiao and Kell Brook will hold all the titles in the division.
While the Brit still isn’t a big enough name to realistically put a fight on with either star, the temptation will be there for a unification bout.
There is no rematch clause in the contract as both parties ultimately agreed that if a second bout was necessary, then they would negotiate that at a later date if required.
Drug testing
This has been blamed as a significant breaking point in negotiations back in 2009, as Pacquiao didn’t want to agree to the process that Mayweather pushed for. However, they have now agreed that the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Nevada State Athletic Commission will handle the testing.
Tickets and pay-per-view
There have been no official announcements on either, but it has been rumoured that both, as expected, will be high.
ESPN writer Dan Rafael suggests that the US market could be looking at up to $100 for the pay-per-view event. Meanwhile, in the UK, Sky Sports, BoxNation, BT and the terrestrial channels will all likely battle for the rights.
Bidding is understood to be starting at £6m according to Sky’s reported offer, but it is unclear as to who will broadcast the fight yet which will obviously impact on the cost.
It has been suggested that there will be no public ticket sale to attend at the MGM Grand given that promoters, networks and casinos will all distribute the tickets between them first. If there is, there could be as few as 1,000 tickets available.
Other
In addition, Rafael reveals that Mayweather insisted on the fight being called ‘Mayweather vs Pacquiao’, while Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions will each select a bout for the undercard with three fights in total on the bill.
The pair are likely to embark on one promotional event in March which will take place in either New York or Los Angeles, while HBO and Showtime have agreed on how to split the commentary as well as the announcers with Michael Buffer and Jimmy Lennon Jr. introducing their respective fighters (Mayweather-Lennon, Pacquiao-Buffer).
As previously revealed, the purse split is 60-40 in favour of Mayweather, but both men will be looking at a significant pay-day given the numbers involved, with some suggesting that the fight will gross more than $400m. However, perhaps more important to both is the opportunity to finally establish themselves as the pound-for-pound king of boxing.
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