MAYWEATHER AND PACQUIAO HOG THE SPORTS LIMELIGHT IN 2015
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 26 Dec 2015
The year 2015 is about to end. Different events occurred in the world of sports. But there were only two sportsmen who faced each other and were most frequently mentioned in TV, broadcast, print and internet media. No other than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Five years in the making and the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Fight of the Century happened on May 2, 2015. It was easily a box-office success because it broke per-per-view viewership records in the United States.
The fight earned 4.6 million buys and over $410 million in revenue, breaking the previous $150 million record set by the fight of Mayweather vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The bout also surpassed the 2.48 million PPV buy record set by Oscar De La Hoya vs. Mayweather clash. The actual proceeds exceeded the pre-fight estimate of $270 million from 3 million households.
But even if it was a financial success, practically every boxing critic considered it an entertainment flop. Mayweather's defensive strategy made it a boring fight not worth the $100 paid by millions for each live viewing.
Brian Goff of Forbes.com called it "arguably, the least entertaining 'mega fight' in memory." BBC Sports labelled it as "Better Never Than Late." USA Today tagged it as a "pay-per-snooze" fight.
More controversy marred the event when Pacquiao disclosed he had a shoulder injury prior to the fight and re-injured it on the fourth round. He was denied of injection of pain killers prior to the fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Mayweather also had undergone a dosage of IV that was cleared by the United States Anti-Doping Agency by a retroactive "therapeutic use exemption" but was not authorized by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Lawsuits were also filed by disgruntled spectators upon learning that Pacquiao fought with an injured shoulder prior to the fight. According to ESPN, "The plaintiffs felt that their actions deceived those who bought tickets or the PPV or bet on the fight, and violated the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission."
Despite the media wrangle Mayweather and Pacquiao topped the list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2015 as ranked by Forbes Magazine on their earnings.
Mayweather was no. 1 with total earnings of $300 million with $285 million from winnings and $15 million from endorsements. Pacquiao was second with $160 million total earnings with $148 million from winnings and $12 million from endorsements.
Rounding up the top ten athletes with their total earnings:
3. Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo - $79.6 million.
4. Argentinian football player Lionel Messi - $73.8 million.
5. Swiss tennis player Roger Federer - $67 million
6. US basketball player LeBron James - $64.8 million
7. US basketball player Kevin Durant - $54.1 million
8. US golfer Phil Mickelson - $50.8 million
9. US golfer Tiger Woods - $50.6 million
10. US basketball player Kobe Bryant - $49.5 million.
Mayweather is now retired and Pacquiao is eyeing a Senate seat. Both boxers are still very much in the news headlines.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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