By Martin Gallegos
It’s finally happening.
After years of getting our hopes up and crushing them over and over again, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to fight on May 2.
While I would have loved to see this fight five years ago when Pacquaio was knocking out everyone in his path, it’s still going to be the biggest fight in boxing history. Don’t believe me? Here are some stats for you. Forbes is projecting Mayweather-Pacquiao to obliterate the record for pay-per-view buys set at 2.5 million by Floyd Mayweather in his fight with Oscar De La Hoya back in 2007 and the $150 million record for PPV revenue set by Mayweather in his fight with Canelo Alvarez in 2013.
Perhaps the most insane stat thrown out there is the payday for both fighters. Mayweather will reportedly make $120 million for this fight. If the fight goes 12 rounds, that’s $55,555 per second. He’s going to make more money in one second than a lot of people make in one year.
Pacquaio gets left behind making “only” $80 million.
The type of money that is made by the best baseball players in the world over seven years will be made by these two boxers in one night.
Why is there so much money to be made in this fight? Because all of you are going to watch it. Yes, I’m talking to you, casual boxing fan.
Whether it’s stories on TMZ of Mayweather’s frivolous spending habits (the man recorded himself burning $100 bills for fun) or Pacquiao’s attempts at a career in singing or congress aspirations, even the non-boxing fan knows who these two fighters are. They also happen to be the two best fighters of their era.
Another reason why you’re going to watch it: Mayweather’s polarizing personality. His cockiness makes you either love him or hate him. After all, the man refers to himself as TBE (The Best Ever.) Those who hate him want to see him get knocked out. Those who love him want to see him silence the critics who say he’s been avoiding Pacquiao for years.
There has never been an opponent with as much of a chance of beating the undefeated Mayweather as Manny Pacquiao. Even having been knocked out cold just a few fights ago, he is still undoubtedly Mayweather’s most dangerous opponent to date by far.
In terms of hand-speed and quickness, Pacquiao is on par with Mayweather in that department, something you can’t say about any of Mayweather past opponents.
Mayweather has also been getting hit a lot more in his last few fights than he normally did in the past. Against a fighter like Pacquiao, who goes for the kill when he sees an opponent is hurt, Mayweather can’t afford to keep that trend up in this fight if he wants to keep that precious undefeated record of his.
Here’s the reason why most people start to criticize this fight: Mayweather is 38 and Pacquiao is 36.
Here’s why you’re wrong to criticize it: You think this fight is too late? Let’s hop in a time machine and head to 1975 when another fight that was “too late” took place. It is now referred to as the “The Thrilla in Manila,” but all the talk before the fight was that it was a matchup of a fighter who was supposedly past his prime in Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, who had just been beat to a pulp in his previous fight against George Foreman.
After everyone was done going on and on about how terrible the fight was going to be, Ali and Frazier stepped into the ring and delivered a classic fight that many boxing historians still consider as one of the greatest fights of all time.
What does this mean? Fighters don’t always necessarily have to be 27 years old to deliver an amazing fight.
Vegas odds makers have Mayweather as a 3-to-1 favorite to win the mega-fight, but that doesn’t mean it will be a walk in the park.
Ultimately, I believe Mayweather will win the fight. Just like defense wins championships in football, along with pinpoint accuracy of his punches, defense has won Mayweather multiple championships over his career. While he has been getting hit more as of late, it has not been to the point to where I believe he can be knocked out, which is the only way I believe Pacquiao can win this fight.
Still, that doesn’t mean that I’m not extremely excited for this fight to finally be happening. It’s what sports are all about, seeing the best against the best. This is going to be the Super Bowl of boxing. Come May 2 I’ll be watching and so will you.
