SPORTSCLOPEDIA 21: FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. VS. MANNY PACQUIAO REVISITED PART III (CONCLUSION)
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 26 Jan 2023
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao tickets for the fight went on sale on April 23, 2015 after both parties agreed on ticket allocation. Only 500 tickets were for sale to the public, priced at $1,500, $2,500, $3,500, $5,000, and $7,500 for the 16,800 capacity MGM Grand Arena. The tickets that went on sale sold out just in one minute.
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Based on the contract provision, the first $160 million of revenue and the revenue above $180 million from the fight were to be split 60/40, the 60% will go to Mayweather and the 40% belongs to Pacquiao. The revenue between $160 million and $180 million will be split 51/49, with the 51% share going to the winner of the fight. Both fighters were expected to earn at least $100 million in revenue from their participation in the mega fight.
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The superfight was jointly promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Top Rank, but the contract identified Mayweather Promotions as the lead promoter of the event. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao consented to undergo drug testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, including random blood and urine testing before the fight and a test right after the fight. The contract also stipulated a ban from professional boxing for four years if tested positive. Both of them has never failed a drug test throughout their professional career.
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Kenny Bayless was chosen to serve as the referee by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Bayless had a record of officiating five of Mayweather's previous fights and seven of Pacquiao's past matches. For the superfight he was paid a record $25,000 as third man on the ring.
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The U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", was sang by Jamie Foxx. The Philippine national anthem, "Lupang Hinirang", was rendered by Filipino-American singer Gail Banawis, backed up by The Word Chorale, a group of Filipino pastors.
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The fight was star studded by several celebrities present. Singer Justin Bieber joined Mayweather's entourage, while comedian Jimmy Kimmel was with the Pacquiao entourage. Prior to the fight, he mentioned the chance of joining the Filipino icon in his entrance when Pacquiao appeared on his talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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Other celebrities in attendance were Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Charles Barkley, Mike Tyson, Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Michael J. Fox, Donald Trump, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amir Khan, Drew Barrymore, Jesse Jackson, Russell Westbrook, Mark Wahlberg, Lewis Hamilton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Cheadle, Michael Jordan, Sugar Ray Leonard, Paris Hilton, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Ben Affleck, The Jonas Brothers, Michael Keaton, Tom Brady, Magic Johnson, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Evander Holyfield, Mariah Carey, Sting, 50 Cent, among others.
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As both Pacquiao and Mayweather signed exclusive contracts with the broadcasters, HBO and Showtime, the telecast of the fight was a joint production between HBO World Championship Boxing and Showtime Championship Boxing. This happened for the first time since the Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson heavyweight championship in 2002.
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The show featured a mix of Showtime and HBO personalities. The lead ringside commentator for the fight was Jim Lampley (HBO) and he was assisted by boxing analysts Al Bernstein (Showtime) and Roy Jones Jr. (HBO). Max Kellerman (HBO) and Jim Gray (Showtime) covered the locker room stories of Pacquiao and Mayweather, respectively. James Brown and Paulie Malignaggi of Showtime were the pre-fight show hosts. Harold Lederman (HBO) was designated as the unofficial scorer.
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Both fighters had different ring announcers. Jimmy Lennon Jr. (Showtime) introduced Mayweather, while Michael Buffer (HBO) performed the main ring announcements and introduced Pacquiao.
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2020 Hall of Fame inductee Mayweather has been professionally retired since 2017, after he won his cross-platform fight against UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, via a tenth round stoppage. His unblemished record was 50-0, which included 27 knockout wins, and 14 world titles.
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Pacquiao retired after losing his WBA world welterweight title to Yodenis Ugás via unanimous decision, with his professional career ending with a record of 62-8-2 with 39 knockout wins and 12 world titles.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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