By John F. McKenna (McJack): World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO’s) has topped WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) in Pay Per View (PPV) buys for his last three fights. In addition Pacquiao’s live gate attendance far exceeds Mayweather during the same time span.

Manny’s last fight in November against Juan Manuel Marquez drew 1.41 million PPV buys, while Floyd’s fight last September against Victor Ortiz drew 1.25 PPV buys.
Floyd’s fight with Marquez in 2009 drew 1 million PPV buys.

Pacquiao’s fight with Antonio Margarito in 2010 drew 1.5 million PPV buys, while Mayweather’s fight Shane Mosley drew 1.4 million PPV buys. Despite Mosley being perceived as a shot fighter, Pacquiao drew 1.3 million PPV buys in their May 2011 fight.

In total Pacquiao’s last three fights have drawn 3.86 million PPV buys, while Mayweather’s last three fights have pulled in 3.65 million PPV buys. In summation Pacquiao drew in 210,000 more PPV buys than Mayweather did. When you take into account the higher number of PPV buys that Pacquiao’s fights have drawn it translates into a cool $10,000,000 in cash.

It is true that the Floyd Mayweather – Oscar De La Hoya fight in May 2007 drew a record 2.4 million PPV hits. Many boxing observers largely attribute the high PPV numbers in that fight to the extreme popularity of the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya and the fact that it was held on the Cinco De Mayo holiday.

But Pacquiao’s recent higher PPV numbers only tell part of the story. In the same three fights Pacquiao sold out the venues, while Mayweather’s last three fights were not sold out. In addition, when Manny Pacquiao fights at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas a significantly higher number of high rollers from Asia fly into Vegas for his fights. The economic impact in Las Vegas for a Pacquiao fight far outstrips that of any other fighter.

In a study by CSE, an integrated sports and marketing firm, Pacquiao is one of only two boxers in the 2012 Power Rankings of the most powerful athletes in the world. Manny is ranked at number 28. Mayweather is ranked 49th in the same study. Both on and off field accomplishments are taken into account in the rankings. Endorsements and media presence figure heavily in the rankings.

Mayweather’s assertion that he deserves a bigger piece of the pie if and when he ever fights Pacquiao is absurd, notwithstanding Manny’s statement a couple of months ago that he was willing to take a smaller cut. Of course Floyd now seizes Pacquiao’s own words and uses them against him as a further excuse not to fight him.