Christian Cieri, Illustrator
That’s right everyone, it is finally happening—the fight that we have all been hoping would come to fruition, albeit quite a few years after we had expected. Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao will meet in the ring May 2.
This is easily one of the biggest fights in the history of boxing. The two competitors are widely considered to be the very best fighters of this era, and we finally get to see how they fare against one another. This welterweight duel will be for the defense of WBC, WBA and WBO titles, but unofficially will be for the crown of the single best fighter of this generation.
The fight has been rumored, denied and flip-lopped back-and-forth since 2009. Who is the better of the two has been disputed almost non-stop since Pacquiao’s rise in 2008, during Mayweather’s brief retirement.
As agreements continued to fail, often over issues of drug testing methods, time passed and both fighters aged. Mayweather Jr. is coming into the fight as a five-division world champion with a record of 47-0 (26 KO). He is granted champion’s perks, which means he will walk to the ring and be introduced last.
Additionally, he demanded his name be before Pacquiao’s on the title of the fight, along with the higher end of a 60-40 purse split.
Manny put up no fight against Mayweather’s demands, as any hesitations or conflicts would probably dissolve negotiations. Many believe Pacquiao isn’t the same fighter he was a few years ago. His confidence cannot be the same as it was, especially after consecutive losses; the first to Timothy Bradley and the second, a knock-out loss to Márquez.
Despite his three victories since then, one over Bradley, he doesn’t seem to have the same swagger. That said, he has a championship mentality and the potential to rise to the occasion.
Pacquiao has a record of 57-5-2, with his impressive 38 knockouts accompanied by eight division world titles.
Pacquiao most likely didn’t make issues over contract specifics because this seemed to be truly the last chance for the superfight to occur. If there is an opportunity to prove he hasn’t lost his touch, this is the grandest possible stage for it to occur.
HBO and Showtime, who respectively have exclusive rights to Pacquiao and Mayweather, are coming together to cover the megafight. The pay-per-view price will be upwards of $100, well over the standard fight price. The bout will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which sold out entirely within 15 minutes of the fight being announced.
The cheapest tickets sold for over $1,000, with ringside seats reaching up to $250,000. Even without knowing how much revenue will be produced from pay-per-view, the event is expected to gross over $400 million.
Mayweather will make at least $100 million, with Pacquiao making slightly less.
But what seems to be the case is that this fight is not about money, but about who is truly the best boxer in the world. There will be no cross-country promotional tour, no guaranteed rematches, just the fight itself. Though it came a few years too late, we will still get the chance to see two of the best boxers go at it.
Despite being the underdog, many—myself included—are hopeful that Pac-Man can rise up and take down the undefeated and egotistic Mayweather. It would be good to see him taken down a peg and have the well-liked Pacquiao be crowned the greatest of our age.
We will have to wait and see how his historic battle will go down, but it is certain that it will be a showdown you will not want to miss.
Eber is a member of the class of 2017.
