Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Fight 2015 Preview, News: Mayweather's Undefeated Record Highlighted by Sharp Business Skills
Undefeated pound-for-pound boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has proven his boxing skills, and his marketing savvy has contributed to his unbeaten status.
American boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.'s on-point business sense more than his fighting skills in the ring have put him on the boxing map as undefeated champ. On May 2, his long-awaited bout with Filipino eight division titlist, Manny Pacquiao is expected to give him the lion's share of the $250 million purse in what is touted to be the biggest fight in boxing history.
Since breaking away from Top Rank promoter Bob Arum in 2006, Mayweather has been a hands-on strategist in his career, signing his own broadcast deals, hiring venues, paying for his own advertisements, and in some cases, hiring his opponents, as well. In a 2011 fight, he earned $40 million and paid $2 million to a challenger he hired.
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It's a business model that no other fighter in history has thought of adopting. He even gets a cut from the merchandise, from t-shirts to hotdogs, sold at his fights. Mayweather holds the Forbes' record for being the highest paid athlete in the world, even without product endorsements to his name. He even ended his contract with HBO and signed on with Showtime when the latter allowed him a larger share of the revenue.
Mayweather's display of business strategy came to play in 2009 during negotiations for a fight with Pacquiao. At the peak of his career, he retired for the first time, leaving Pacquiao to expend his energy demolishing opponents left and right.
Mayweather came out of retirement, nurturing the hype of a super fight between him and Pacquiao, but demanding Olympic-level blood testing. While Pacquiao focused on his political career and suffered a knock-out from Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez that nearly leveled his reputation, Mayweather bided his time, remaining with his undefeated 47-0 record while flaunting his lavish wealth, spouting insults directed at Pacquiao, and inflaming boxing fans demanding a match between the two.
Pacquiao won his last three fights, keeping public interest keen on the Filipino fighter, and with the Pacman a less aggressive boxer than he was in 2009, Mayweather has picked the best time to agree to a fight to cement his legacy before his second and final retirement this year.
