(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0) usually makes it a long night for his opponent, sometimes makes it a long night for viewers, and always makes it a long night for his accountants. He is, after all, the PPV King and that means tons of cash. Considering fights like Mayweather vs De La Hoya and Mayweather vs Guerrero, which many called boring, how has Mayweather become the PPV King?
Part of it is that he really is the best boxer right now. But there are plenty of highly talented boxers who don’t make lots of money. Guillermo Rigondeaux (12-0) recently defeated HBO star Nonito Donaire. Ironically, HBO has said it’s not interested in airing Rigondeaux’s next fight.
Likewise, Andre Ward (26-0) hasn’t become a huge PPV star despite his #2 P4P ranking and victories over Carl Froch, Chad Dawson, and Mikkel Kessler. Timothy Bradley Jr (31-0) is another fine example of a talented boxer who has yet to become a superstar, despite controversially defeating Manny Pacquaio.
What do these fighters share with Mayweather? They are undefeated. But Mayweather’s claim to fame comes not only from the 0 in his record, but how he handles that 0. He dangles it in front of boxing fans, like a carrot on a stick, suggesting it is there to be blemished. He makes us want to see him lose that 0, and buy his fights to see it happen.
Much like his boxing skill, Mayweather’s marketing mastery is something no one can fully understand or mimic. But the basics are easy to see. Controversial remarks, flaunting his wealth in public, and a generally arrogant attitude, have split boxing fans. Some respect him for this behavior, others hate him. Splitting fans creates debates among those fans, which keeps him the talk of the town.
Consider rising star Adrien Broner (27-0), the “young Floyd Mayweather.” His biggest victories include a controversial win over Ponce De Leon and a split-decision win over Paulie Malignaggi. Not exactly P4P material, despite Broner’s talent. But consider Broner’s behavior. Like Mayweather he is cocky, flaunts his wealth, and trash talks. And it’s working. He earned $1.5 million for his fight against Malignaggi. To put that into perspective, in September 2012, Sergio Martinez earned a career high $1.4 million for his PPV fight against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (along with some of the PPV revenue).
Unless a boxer has an entertaining style or a built in set of fans like Manny Pacquaio and “Canelo” Alvarez, he will have to market himself. That said, Mayweather has shown the best way so far to do it. Make people watch to see you lose and make people argue about whether you deserve to lose. I’m surprised we don’t see more boxers trying it. Imagine if Gennady Golovkin started calling himself “The Middleweight Mayweather” or Abner Mares deemed himself “The Mexican Mayweather.”
Part II of this topc will examine the value of charisma, fighting style, obstacles to proper marketing, and the personal choice boxers must make in marketing themselves.
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