By Michele Emrick
Back in 2009, the world of boxing was clamoring more than ever for a bout between the two biggest stars in the sport. Unfortunately, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather could never come to an agreement on the fight. According to Forbes, the loss suffered by Pacquiao was much greater.
The magazine reported that if they had fought then, Manny Pacquiao stood to make $100 million. While there were efforts to get a deal done, blood testing issues were part of the issues that threw a wrench into getting anything finalized.
The article projected that the fight would have generated upwards of $250 million in revenue. In initial negotiations, the sides appeared to be close to agreeing on a 50-50 split of the pot. That would have made Pacquiao’s take somewhere around nine figures for a night’s worth of work.
The projections for a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight were based on what Floyd Mayweather generated in his fight with Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14. That fight did 2.2 million buys for a total of $150 million, becoming the highest grossing match in the history of the sport. Additionally, the gate was $20 million. According to CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Shaefer, the final tally should be north of $200 million.
While there was a lot of anticipation for Mayweather vs. Canelo, it paled in comparison to thehype surrounding the possibility of Mayweather and Pacquiao. When negotiations were taking place, they were considered the top two pound-for-pound boxers, as well as the highest grossing fighters by a wide margin. Floyd Mayweather had never been defeated, and Manny Pacquaio was on a roll, having just dominated Miguel Cotto.
Unfortunately for boxing fans, the fight was never able to come off. Whether it was the fault of Mayweather or Pacquiao has long been the subject of debate. Many speculated Floyd was worried about losing for the first time, while others believed that Manny had something to hide from in testing.
There is of course still a chance that the fight can be made sometime in the future. However, although it will still be a huge event, there is no way it can be as big as it would have been a few years ago. Also, following a pair of losses to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao would have to settle for a much smaller slice of the pie.
