A Financial Warning

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again boxing fans and writers need to stayed focused on the only part of the super fight of the century that has any effect on the fight itself. It is ironic that the same people who insist that they don’t like Mayweather for his money persona and flaunting his wealth in people’s faces have a chief concern about how this is the richest fight in boxing, how lucrative a rematch will be and purse splits. In all reality what does any of this have to do with viewers of the fight? Does anyone remember how much Ali was paid to fight Foreman or all backdoor powerbrokers who created Tyson Lewis? Better still for recent history how much did Manny Pacquiao make for his last fight with Algieri? Truth be told the money is irrelevant and is really nothing more than a ploy by those who will actually get a piece of the pie.  Don’t get me wrong, if you are interested in the dollars and cents of the mega fight, by all means indulge. However the constant selling of this fight as a matter of dollar signs alone in my opinion is merely a tactic to bleed the boxing public once more.

          During the years building up to this fight I recall talking with my friends about how big the fight could be and someone inevitably brought up how it could make $150 million, then 200 then 400 and on and on. All the while I remember asking those who brought up said topic how this fight was going to make that kind of money and would frequently hear from Pay Per View sales. They were right of course but looked bewildered when I stated that the PPV buys were coming from us. Our demand dictates the prices we pay for inelastic goods like entertainment.  As the writers and bloggers began to talk more and more about the money of the fight it created buzz that convinced the boxing promoters they could legitimately get away with charging $100 for PPV. Lo and behold here we are giving our pound of flesh!

          Now more and more people and articles are focusing on what a draw in this fight could mean monetarily.Personally I rationalized paying for this fight under the idea that it’s a once in a lifetime match up and while a draw is a possible outcome in boxing who in their right mind believes that would or should happen? One fighter is known for explosive power and all action offense and the other is a master counter puncher who rarely loses more than two rounds let alone an entire judge’s score card. A close fight makes sense and would surely be exciting but a draw seems fishy. Even if we hope for a draw no one should announce it or we could be looking at a major let down in this “Super Bowl” of boxing. Don’t underestimate the powers that be in boxing to create controversy for currency and if we as fans let it be known we accept a draw, one could be forced through a myriad of ways: poor officiating, ‘blind’ judges etc. A match of the best is what we are getting and the best fight is what we are hoping for so let’s keep our focus on the real storylines and numbers of the fight: reach, speed, power, style, trainers, legacies, belts, past opponents, future opponents. Pick one, pick three pick any of them but please let’s leave selling this fight to the only people who are being paid to do it!