As expected by some, the pay per view war between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has begun. Perhaps more obviously Mayweather was the first to voice his opinions, claiming he should get the bigger share of the fight purse is his next fight outsells Manny's.
There are several other factors surrounding both fights as to which will be the better seller as well though. Comparing the fights on sales only without looking at the other factors is somewhat irrelevant. Firstly there is the question of who is the bigger draw, Shane Mosley or Joshua Clottey, Floyd and Manny's respective opponents for their next fights.
Mosley has never been a huge draw in the United States, although he is a lot more well known than Joshua Clottey. The fact that both he and Floyd can speak English well and can hype up the fight in interviews and appearances a lot before is happens will play a factor also.
Toney Duggan, Pittsburgh PA: "Clottey and Pacquiao can't speak much English and Mayweather wants to run his mouth and brag he can outsell then with two American fighters? So what"
Pacquiao and Clottey do have the added bonus of taking the fight outside Vegas and into the Cowboys stadium though, meaning there is a lot more attention being given to the fight in some sections of the media. Having the fight mentioned on numerous other events happening in the stadium between now and March 13th is sure to boost sales of both tickets and pay per views.
Secondly the kind of competition each event will face should be looked into as well. There are no other major events in the sporting calendar to interfere with Mayweather and Mosley's date in may just yet, although Manny and Joshua will have to contend with a UFC pay per view on the same night. Given that both fighters are such huge names in the sport, there isn't much chance of them being beaten by anything MMA has to offer at the moment, but the competition can certainly make a difference.
Dana White (UFC boss) is also known not to be too fond of Floyd Mayweather because of his disparaging remarks about MMA in the past. This will be made worse because Floyd and Shane's pay per view date pushed a UFC event to a different date. In the past the UFC has used counter programming on basic cable to undermine their opposition, and this will probably be in effect here also.
Dan Peters, Greensburg PA: "If Floyd Mayweather thinks he'd last a minute with someone who knows how to fight on the ground instead of just box he's dreaming. Sure he can punch, but as soon as someone takes him down or uses kicks, it'd be all over"
In a move sure to infuriate fans and experts alike, Floyd decided to add this latest barrier to himself and Pacquiao ever fighting seemingly without provocation or reason.
It seems unlikely that either fighter will back down on their claims about the drug testing issue to begin with. Not to mention both have to win and Floyd has to outsell Pacquiao for this to even be an issue.
Speaking to the Grand Rapids press, Mayweather said:
“Instead of 20 or 25 (million dollars), he may have to drop to 15 or 17 and you know me, they have to throw that extra 5 or ten on mine and we can rock and roll. Take it or leave it,”
Other than being another reason that the pair won't fight, this statement speaks to the fact that Mayweather still believes himself to be the bigger fighter. If Pacquiao wins the pay per view battle, he will expect his 50% of the purse, If he outsells Pacquiao though he expects more.
This also invites Top Rank and Pacquiao to demand the same if he wins the pay per view battle, which of course Floyd won't agree to. By the looks of things, the fight has very little chance of happening unless both fighters can agree to a 50% cut each regardless of the sales either can achieve against other opponents.
Author: Scott Heritage
Source: examiner.com
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