Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao: Revenue, prize money, earnings, pay-per-view and all the figures behind the richest fight in boxing history
Sporting history will be made this weekend when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao duck under the ropes and prepare to face off in what is expected to be the richest boxing match of all time.
When Michael Buffer’s unmistakable voice introduces the two fighters into the MGM Grand arena, the audience will be explicitly reminded of the imperious careers both fighters have enjoyed in the ring – yet this fight has come to be defined almost as much by the dollar bills being earned from it than the two pugilists participating in it.
Whether or not this fight will be a classic encounter remains to be seen, but what seems for certain is the records set to be broken for revenue generated and money earned.
As demonstrated in our infographic above, “the fight of the century” is expected to smash box office records, ticket price receipts and just about every other revenue stream available to a boxing match.
Over $300m (£195.8m) is expected to be generated in pay-per-view sales in North America, with cable broadcasters HBO and Showtime (who agreed to a co-production in order to facilitate a meeting between their two top boxing talents) showing the fight. International broadcast rights sales are expected to bring in a further $35m – UK viewers can catch the event for £19.95 on Sky Sports Box Office.
Record levels of revenue are also expected to be made in merchandise sales ($1m), commercial sponsorships ($13m) and closed-circuit screenings of the event in Las Vegas ($13m).
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So it’s no surprise tickets to actually be inside the 16,800 capacity MGM Grand arena are soaring to astronomical levels, nor that the two main men are in for a record payday.
The size of the two fighters’ purse depends on the eventual revenue raised by pay-per-view sales, but most estimates expect it to come in at around $300m – meaning Mayweather will take home a staggering $180m and Pacquiao around $120m after the pair agreed a 60/40 split in favour of the American.
If the fight goes the distance, that would mean the undefeated Mayweather would earn around $5m per minute.
The 38-year-old Mayweather is the highest-earning athlete in the world, with total career earnings from his exploits in the ring currently in excess of $400m. He made $105m from two fights in 2014 – he could well double that on Saturday.
Filipino icon Pacquiao has made around $340m in career earnings, but earns more money than his competitor from sponsorship deals. Mayweather does not have any endorsement deals – but Pacquiao is believed to make around $5m from various deals with Nike, Nestle and Foot Locker. His shorts alone will sport $1.5m worth of sponsorships.
But the southpaw is somewhat more in need of the bumper payday than “Money” Mayweather. “The Pac-Man” has been told to pay the Philippines government $75m in outstanding tax, while in the US the IRS has charged him with $18.3m in unpaid taxes.