New York: Floyd Mayweather is aiming to earn a staggering $25 million (Dh91.8 million) through sponsorship and branding alone on his fight shorts, robe and caps even before a punch is thrown in his boxing match against UFC star Conor McGregor.
The astronomical sum is in keeping with the boxer’s extraordinary rise to fame, wealth and notoriety in a 20-year career in which he remains unbeaten in 49 fights, having won world titles in five weight classes.
Mayweather could earn around $240 million in what is expected to be the richest fight in history in Las Vegas a week on Saturday, all for a bout with a novice boxer. He could retire in 10 days with career earnings close to $1 billion.
Mayweather’s reach as the undisputed pay-per-view fight king is undeniable, the defensive genius having generated approximately $19.5 million pay-per-view buys for his fights, which have grossed $41.3 billion in revenue.
The earning power of Mayweather’s brand has led his sponsorship partners, One Entertainment, to request up to $15.5 million for six sections on the boxer’s shorts, $3.5 million for his waistband and $1.5 million for a 4in x 2in patch on the front thigh of his shorts. They are asking $1 million for his robe and $1 million for his ‘victor’s cap’.
The ring cushion behind Mayweather’s head during the fight, in one of the corners, has been bought out by a betting agent for $3.1 million. Mayweather Promotions are also asking for additional compensation for mass production of any caps or boots. Brand sponsors are keen to be involved in a contest which could gross more than $700 million and is trending to reach five million pay-per-view buys.
For a decade, since the boxer became self-promoted after earning $25 million for defeating Oscar De La Hoya, 40-year-old Mayweather has brought in a residual earning capacity for the city of Las Vegas which is unlikely ever to be matched. It runs into billions and billions of dollars.
Since 2007, Mayweather has been involved in the three biggest pay-per-view boxing events of all time, against Manny Pacquiao — currently the top performer with 4.4 million buys — De La Hoya, and Saul Alvarez.
Two heavyweight bouts are fourth and fifth, Mike Tyson versus Evander Holyfield, 20 years ago, and Tyson versus Lennox Lewis, 15 years ago. Mayweather’s carefully cultivated image has taken his social media reach from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to 80 million fans which, combined with McGregor’s following, means the two fighters reach a digital audience of 115 million followers. Measure Mayweather’s impact against all others in fight sports and he stands alone, unbeaten at 49-0 in the ring across five weight divisions, yet he also remains peerless as a businessman/boxer.
The American led the Forbes and Sports Illustrated lists of the highest-paid athletes of 2012 and 2013 respectively, and the Forbes list again in 2014 and 2015. The fight with Pacquiao drew 4.4 million buys at $100. The contest with McGregor is trending to reach 5 million buys, costing $125 each in the United States. It is set to be the richest fight in history. Mayweather versus Pacquiao two years ago, called the Fight of the Century, grossed close to $700 million, of which Mayweather is understood to have earned $240 million, and this forthcoming fight with McGregor, who has crossed into boxing from mixed martial arts, could usurp that record. They are two undeniable forces from the fight industry coming together to create the biggest boxing event ever witnessed, in spite of McGregor having no previous fights as a boxer.
