By Sizzle JKD: Now that the world knows the blockbuster fight between made-for-TV star Floyd Mayweather Jr. and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao has been finalized and will be taking place on May 2, it provides the opportunity to dig a little deeper and gather a bit of historical perspective in order to determine who really came out on top in the negotiations between Mayweather Promotions, LLC and Top Rank, Inc.
In other words, who really is the boss? Is it Mayweather or Bob Arum?
Yes, Floyd has the larger share of the money pot as he stands to earn in excess of $120 million when it’s all said and done while Pacquiao will receive a minimum purse of $80 million. Yes, Floyd gets his wish with USADA conducting the blood and urine tests for the fight, although the Nevada State Athletic Commission will oversee the testing protocols. Yes, TMT will enjoy all of the benefits of being the “home team” for the fight since Floyd will enter the ring after the Pacquiao and will be announced after Manny. And yes, Floyd was the one who announced the fight to the world, not Top Rank.
But did Floyd only win the battle instead of the war? Supporting evidence suggests so, and there’s no doubt Top Rank and Arum had the last laugh in spite of their agreeing to most of Mayweather’s demands.
During his well-publicized interview with Showtime analyst Steve Farhood in December, Mayweather said, “Floyd Mayweather is not ducking or dodging any opponent. Bob Arum is stopping the fight. Manny Pacquiao, Bob Arum, you guys have been ducking us for years. We’re tired of you guys fooling the public, fooling the critics. You guys didn’t want to take random blood and urine testing, so that’s why it didn’t happen. Then I offered you $40 million…You lost twice, now you coming back begging for the same money. That’s not gonna happen.”
So if a $40 million flat fee without any portion of the pay-per-view proceeds wasn’t going to happen as Mayweather so adamantly stated in front of a worldwide audience, then how did Pacquiao manage to secure a 40% split that will pretty much gross him somewhere in the ballpark of $80-100 million?
So if Bob Arum was the one who was “stopping the fight” according to big boss Floyd, who had made it known year after year since 2010 that the only way the mega fight would materialize was if Arum weren’t involved in the promotion of the fight, then how come Top Rank is listed as “co-promoter” on the final contract? Wasn’t it Floyd who said not too long ago that the only way he’d fight Pacquiao was if Pacquiao signed with Mayweather Promotions?
As Mayweather talked the talk, Arum walked the walk and showed Floyd who the real boss is. Lest Floyd forgets, Arum has been doing this for years. Been there, done that. From Ali to Leonard to De La Hoya to Pacquiao, Arum has produced the biggest fights in the history of the sport. The amateur-level tactics Floyd showed during the entire negotiation process came to light and was severely exposed by Arum and Team Pacquiao.
For Floyd to think that he could fabricate and manipulate his way through the naivety of the public’s conscience while believing the masses wouldn’t pick up on the charade goes a long way in displaying the foolishness that has seeped deep into his psyche.
The “Floyd Folly,” as I have deemed it, continues to be uncovered courtesy of his famous words on that fateful night in December when he called out Pacquiao while speaking with Farhood to promote a fight card on Showtime.
“Of course, we have to make the fight happen on Showtime pay-per-view, because ‘Showtime Championship Boxing’ is number one and will remain number one. I’m the man. I’m here to stay,” Mayweather quipped.
The reality is this, in case Mayweather may have missed it. The fight isn’t going to happen on just Showtime pay-per-view’s airwaves. His previous employer, who is also Pacquiao’s current broadcast network, HBO, is set to co-televise the event. Once again, we can surmise how much of a boss Mayweather really is because his attempts to have Showtime be the sole provider for the super fight failed miserably.
At this point if you’re a die-hard Floyd Mayweather cult member, you probably can’t take it anymore so I won’t blame you if you stop reading. Kindly close your internet browser now so I can save you the anguish and suffering. But I can guarantee you that if you keep reading, your efforts to suck it up won’t be in vain and the inevitable realization that your hero isn’t as invincible as he makes himself out to be won’t be at all futile because as the story progresses, more and more will be revealed. In God we trust.
Moving forward, we all know one of the pain points during the first fight between Mayweather and Marcos Maidana was the issue between the gloves. Floyd tired himself endlessly in his efforts to prevent Maidana from using his desired instruments. At the end of the day, Maidana succumbed and was forced to use an equivalent pair of gloves, perhaps affecting his performance.
But against Pacquiao, why wouldn’t Floyd control the selection of the gloves? After all, there were indications in the past that if the super fight were to happen, Floyd would demand not only 10 ounce mitts, but he would choose the gloves Manny would be wearing. As of this writing, it has been reported that Pacquiao will be allowed to wear his customary 8-ounce Cleto Reyes gloves while Floyd will use his traditional Grant gloves.
So who was the winner in this aspect of the negotiations? Arum and Top Rank, once again.
It has also been reported that there was no rematch clause in the fight contract, after initial rumors were that Floyd had insisted on a rematch should he lose the fight. It is clear Manny and Arum declined the rematch clause presented by Team Mayweather, and in spite of this Floyd still agreed to sign off on the deal.
Perhaps the negotiations had already gone so far into the final stages that Floyd felt it was too late to pull out of the deal and if he did walk away, it would further tarnish his image and all blame would fall on him. Perhaps pulling out because he didn’t agree with Team Pacquiao regarding the rematch clause would rub Showtime the wrong way and could risk his relationship with the network.
Whatever the reason is, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Floyd’s back was pushed against the proverbial wall and was forced into the fight by Arum and Team Pacquiao, with CBS head honcho Les Moonves spearheading the assault in order to guarantee his network the hefty return on investment he had always hoped would come into fruition when he signed Mayweather to his lucrative $250 million, six-fight contract.
So who’s the boss? It’s Arum, not Mayweather. And it’s tearing up Mayweather inside, which is why he’s so quick to diminish Pacquiao’s accomplishments.
But where’s the logic and rationale in making Pacquiao look bad in public when Floyd’s issue is with Arum? Because Pacquiao is Arum’s cash cow, and if Floyd can be successful in tarnishing Pacquiao’s public image (i.e. Pacquiao needs the money, Manny is broke, PED accusations, catchweight claims, etc), then maybe just maybe fans will buy into Floyd’s Folly and stop watching Pacquiao. Of course, the less pay-per-view buys for Pacquiao, the less money being put in Arum’s pocket.
Floyd’s agenda has always been to discredit Pacquiao so that Arum could make as little money off of him as possible. In essence, it worked to a degree. Pacquiao’s pay-per-view numbers declined but this was more a product of Pacquiao’s losses and lack of recent excitement in his fights as a result of a dwindling selection of pay-per-view worthy opponents than it was the public’s waning enthusiasm for Pacquiao as a prize fighter. Why do you think Mayweather always loves to point out how Pacquiao’s pay-per-view numbers are decreasing when the fact is, so has Floyd’s. You know the old adage, “Ignorance is bliss!”
The truth of the matter is, as much as Floyd loves to brag about his wealth by showing off millions of dollars in cash on his bed and “instragramming” his shopping sprees, Floyd’s earnings per fight is probably not that much more than Pacquiao’s, in spite of what is being reported by the media. There is a reason Pacquiao fights in China once a year.
According to Arum, in a September 2014 interview with Gareth Davies of The Telegraph, Mayweather isn’t really the highest paid athlete in pro sports and Pacquiao actually earns more than Mayweather in some of their fights, after taxes.
“You have to understand – do the math,” stated Arum. “He [Floyd] gets $32 million guaranteed a fight. He fights twice a year. That’s not $100 million. That’s $64 million. Period. He has no endorsements.”
Arum continued, “You can’t believe a word they say. He has a guarantee of $32 million with Showtime and they agreed to increase that to $40 million when he fought Canelo. But his guarantee for the Maidana fight is $32 million. It’s still a lot of money, but, remember, in the United States he still has to pay federal income tax to 39.6%. Manny makes more than he does by fighting outside the United States at least once a year. Manny’s net income after tax is more than Floyd’s.”
Is it true that because Manny doesn’t have to pay taxes in China that he actually takes home at least the same, if not a little bit more, than Floyd after taxes? If Floyd is guaranteed $32 million per fight with Showtime, his net income would be approximately $19.3 million per fight after being taxed at a 39.6% clip per his tax bracket, a number Floyd would understandably never want any of his fans to see. Like Arum said, do the math.
It’s extremely important for fans to understand the underlying reasons behind Floyd’s hatred and despicable taste for Arum. This goes back to 2003 when Floyd used to be managed by Houston-based manager James Prince, who is currently Andre Ward’s go-to-guy.
It was said that Arum was the one who bailed out Floyd from his troubles with Prince and literally saved his life when he was in some contractual troubles with Prince. There was a storied rumor that Prince once sent some of his hit men to a Top Rank gym about 12 years ago and they roughed up Leonard Ellerbe and another member of Floyd’s camp, sending them both to the hospital. The altercation apparently had to do with money.
Mayweather’s team never confirmed the story but it is said in boxing circles that Arum and Todd DuBoef saved Mayweather from further damage and gave an advance of over $600K to Floyd so Floyd could settle his differences with Prince.
Mayweather and Arum’s partnership eventually soured after Mayweather believed Arum under-promoted him by not marketing him enough to urban America. Floyd also claimed Arum owed him lots of money that was never paid back.
At the end of the day, one thing we know for sure is that Pacquiao and Mayweather are going to fight on May 2nd, barring some sort of last minute catastrophe that can delay the fight such as an injury suffered by one of the fighters during training camp.
The other thing we know is this: After over two months of tumultuous back and forth negotiations, verbal sparring, media posturing, and ego trippin,’ Mayweather is going to make more money than Pacquiao because after all, they don’t call him “Money” for nothing. But as the world turns, and with one revelation after another, Hall-of-Famer Robert Arum has shown that no matter what Mayweather does or says, Arum isn’t going anywhere any time soon. And as long as Arum is in the picture, the Mayweather vernacular will never be able to command and bully a proven boss.
In reality, the A-side is neither Mayweather nor Pacquiao. The “A” in A-side stands for Arum.
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