Presented by HARMON TRAVEL.
This Day In Sports…May 2, 2015, 10 years ago today:
In boxing’s biggest event since Tyson-Holyfield in 1997—and the richest bout in history—Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains undefeated with a 12-round unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao. The long-awaited showdown in Las Vegas saw the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps split an estimated $300 million purse. The two stars (their handlers, anyway) had started discussing the bout in 2009 at the ages of 30 and 28, respectively. But terms of the fight kept upsetting the apple cart one way or the other, and it took almost six years before the two sides could finally come to an agreement.
Mayweather had retired in 2008 at the age of 31, as there was no more fire in the belly. Funny how idle time can change things. The fact that Pacquiao took over the boxing spotlight in Mayweather’s absence with a TKO over superstar Oscar de la Hoya was enough to pique his interest, to say the least. Mayweather came out of retirement 16 years ago today. The Mayweather-Pacquiao bout was finalized in February, 2015, and it would unify the World Welterweight Championship.
As has been the case for decades, Pay-Per-View was the only way to see this major event live. Nevertheless, almost half of the households in Pacquiao’s native Philippines picked it up and tuned in. Advance ticket prices ranged from $3,500 to $250,000. What was billed as “The Fight of the Century” lacked drama, though. Mayweather focused on a defensive strategy, and Pacquiao had trouble landing blows. That’s a recipe for a boring bout. Controversy reigned after the fight when it was revealed Pacquiao competed with a torn rotator cuff.
Mayweather may be remembered just as much for a manufactured match in 2017 against MMA star Conor McGregor. Total take for this event was $660 million, almost overtaking the record $678 million for Mayweather-Pacquiao. The only belt on the line for this crossover bout was the “Money Belt,” made of alligator leather, 24-carat gold and encrusted with over 3,000 diamonds. It was billed as the “Biggest Fight in Combat Sports History,” but to be sure, it was boxing and not MMA, and even at the age of 40, Mayweather’s ring smarts were far too much for McGregor to overcome. Mayweather won in a 10th-round TKO.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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