Floyd Mayweather Is 'Money' in PPV

Episode III of HBO's 24/7 series begins with Floyd Mayweather chiding his upcoming rival, Shane Mosley, for "thinking about the fight" when "I'm thinking about the check."

Later, Mayweather brandishes a thick, wad of cash, holding it to his nose and saying, "That smells so good."

"Every fighter often goes into it to fight Floyd Mayweather, no matter what happens, if you notice," said Mayweather, during a conference call with reporters last week.

"I mean with Oscar de la Hoya, he got his biggest pay day fighting Floyd Mayweather. Shane Mosley is getting his biggest payday with Floyd Mayweather and the list goes on and on."

The numbers back up Mayweather's assertions.

In six pay-per-view fights, the 33-year-old Mayweather ranks No. 2 all-time in pay-per-view revenue at $292 million, with a total of 5.5 million buys.

Oscar De la Hoya is the top revenue generator with his 19 pay-per-view appearances, generating the most total buys and total revenue of anyone in history.

De la Hoya's pay-per-view totals: 19 pay-per-view fights; 14.1 million pay-per-view buys; $697 million pay-per-view revenue.

But Mayweather's average revenue per pay-per-view fight -- which totals over $48 million -- is the highest of all-time.

"Floyd has been a prolific pay-per-view performer," said Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president of pay-per-view. "There's a reason he is called Money Mayweather."

In his past three victories over de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and,Juan Manuel Marquez, Mayweather has produced a record 2.4 million, 920,000, and, 1.06 million buys, respectively.

On May 1, Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) will meet the 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in a bout that Golden Boy Promotions' CEO Richard Schaefer believes could surpass Mayweather-de la Hoya's numbers.

"The general public is embracing this fight for what it is, truly one of the greatest all-time showdowns between two of the greatest athletes of our time," Schaefer said during Thursday's Mayweather conference call. "I am convinced that we are on track to break the all-time pay-per-view record."

When it has come to pay-per-view attractions in boxing, Mayweather and a good opponent have been the common denominators.

Mosley certainly fits the description of a quality challenge, said Taffet.

"Mayweather-Mosley is a true pay-per-view megafight," said Taffet. "Its a classic All-American showdown between two superstars who between them have fought on HBO nearly 50 times over the past 15 years."

There is one thing, however, that Mayweather isn't spending his money on, and that's the sanctioning fee for the WBA.

What that means is that Mosley can defend his WBA title, but Mayweather -- who "didn't want to fight for the WBA title" -- is unable to win the crown.

"At this level, for Floyd, it's not about belts," said adviser Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "It's about fighting to, like [Mayweather] has said, improve his legacy, and, also, it's about the money."

Author: Lem Satterfield

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com