|
 In stark contrast to his previous fight, the much hyped megabout
with Manny Pacquiao four months ago, the build-up to Mayweather's
49th appearance in the ring as a professional has lacked buzz and
plenty of tickets are still available.
In May, Mayweather earned more than $200 million from his so-called
"Fight of the Century" with Pacquiao that became boxing's richest
ever showdown. Against Berto on Saturday, Mayweather has settled for
a reported $32 million.
The appeal of Saturday's bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which
will be televised on pay-per-view for a suggested price of $74.95,
has clearly not been helped by Mayweather's choice of opponent,
Berto having lost three of his last six fights.
"I just try to stay positive, keep my fingers crossed and hope for
the best," undefeated five-division world champion Mayweather said
of the slow ticket sales while preparing for what he has repeatedly
claimed will be his swansong in the ring.
"Nobody's forced to watch. Watch if you want to watch. If you don't
want to watch, don't watch."
Asked how many pay-per-view buys would make Saturday's fight a
success in his eyes, Mayweather replied: "The numbers will be what
they are. Only thing I can do. I can't say any particular number,
but we'll just have to see."
Should the numbers from Saturday end up being anywhere near
mediocre, it would be out of character with what Mayweather, the
world's highest paid athlete, has so far achieved during his
remarkable career in the ring.
His last five bouts in a lucrative six-fight deal with cable giant
Showtime Sports that concludes on Saturday have produced staggering
figures.
[to top of second column] |
"The first five fights yielded nearly 10 million PPV buys, $750
million in PPV receipts," Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president
and general manager of Showtime Sports, told a news conference at
the MGM Grand on Wednesday.
"I don't know what will happen on Saturday night. I do know that
Berto is more athletic than any fighter Floyd has fought recently.
It's not going to be boring. When you have fighters like our entire
PPV card has, it's a night not to be missed."
Mayweather (48-0 with 26 knockouts) bristles whenever criticism is
raised over his choice of Berto as his opponent for his 'final'
fight.
"I chose Berto because he's very exciting," Mayweather said of the
twice former welterweight world champion, who has a record of 30-3
including 23 knockouts.
"Andre Berto is going to push Floyd Mayweather to the limit. That's
one thing I do know. Berto always gives an exciting fight. If he
gets knocked down he gets back up. He always give 100 percent. Fast
hands, good boxer."
(Editing by Andrew Both)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
