By Hector Gonzalez: I’m tired of people trying to compare numbers between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao is if that was even a factor, to put it bluntly, Pacquiao is the only reason why boxing is relevant today.
I see some people praising Mayweather claiming that he’s the sole reason why Mayweather/ Cotto sold 1.5 Million PPV in sales, all I’m thinking is- did people not hear Jim Lampley’s comment on HBO during the fight? “ Canelo has a HUGE draw from Mexican Fans, he’s also to credit for all the PPV buys”. Also, keep in mind how many Puerto Ricans bought the fight to see Miguel Cotto.
I could already anticipate the reaction people are going to have if Pacquiao’s PPV sales turn out to be lower, as if Timothy Bradley was as big a draw as Miguel Cotto. Timothy Bradley is not even a Pay Per View draw, so in my opinion, even if Pacquiao gets 1 million PPV sales, it’s almost as if Pacquiao is a bigger sale considering he does not have Cotto or Canelo on his card. Pay Per View sales are not what ultimately dictate the longevity of boxing.
Here’s an example, the biggest PPV seller besides Oscar de la Hoya is Mike Tyson. Yet, the reason why many people today do not watch boxing is because they complain that they bought a PPV fight, spend 50 dollars to see a fight that lasted no more then 2 minutes- what a rip off, they paid to see Mike Tyson and he is the reason why many people do not watch boxing today. Yet when you look at another fighter who fought in the same era as Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, who did not sell as many PPV fights; yet he is credited as being the main reason why the MGM Grand and the Mirage are boxing venue’s to begin with, Julio Cesar Chavez during his fights turned Vegas into a Cinco De Mayo fest, he is recorded as having the biggest ticket sales in boxing history when he fought Pernell Whitaker in Dallas, Texas, and has one of the most referenced fight in the history of boxing- Chavez vs Meldrick Taylor, and also is recorded as having the best boxing record in the last 100 years….. My point—PPV sales do not mean better, or greater.
When Pacquiao fought Barrera in 2004, there was a resurgence in boxing mostly around a Mexican vs Filipino boxing rivalry. The bouts between Pacquiao vs Barrera/ Morales/ Marquez are in fact fights very responsible for why boxing is even relevant today. The only words that could describe them is electrifying…. What fights of that magnitude has Mayweather delivered?
There are many fighters that are coming up today that have a similar style and swagger as Mayweather, for example Gamboa and Broner could one day be marketed in the same way that Mayweather is marketed. Pacquiao in the other hand, fighters like that come only once every 20 years.
Put it this way, when Mayweather retired after fighting De La Hoya, Boxing hardly took a hit.. Imagine what would have happened if Pacquiao would have retired after defeating Cotto?
Comments are closed.