Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao mega fight poised to trump pay-per-view records
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will take part in the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) event in sporting history when they finally share a ring on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
But it won't just be the two boxers getting bruised, since boxing fans are being forced to make a dent in their bank balances just to watch the eagerly anticipated bought in their own living rooms.
In the United States this long-awaited mega fight between two pound-for-pound greats will be available on PPV for a whopping £60.
With the mega fight just around the corner Sports Interaction have published a breakdown of the numbers and statistics of the top ten PPV boxing events stretching back to Evander Holyfield's fight with George Foreman in 1991.
The study explores every facet of PPV boxing experience to ascertain if these fights actually offer value, despite the steep entry price, and breaks down some key statistics to feed every armchair boxing fan a meal of trivia ahead of the big fight.
With ticket sales and casino profits also contributing to the fighters' riches, we are all set for the most lucrative boxing match in history, which will line the pockets of both fighters to the tune of £181m.
KEY FACTS
Mike Tyson is still the PPV king – featuring in four of the top 10 grossing bouts.
PPV events tend to give fans some value – 60% of the top 10 went the distance.
Mike Tyson's one round destruction of Peter McNeeley was the worst value PPV event. It cost a global audience £27m a minute to watch
That fight also meant that Tyson earned over £10.3m a minute
100% of the fights ended by knockout were delivered by right handed punches
When Mike Tyson was released from jail, Don King's dollars ensured a return clash against 'Great White Hope' Peter McNeeley – an Irish-American brawler with an impressive looking record. Unfortunately for McNeeley, he was humiliated and knocked out 90 seconds into the first round.
While most PPV fans were tuning in to watch this sort of destructive performance from Tyson, the price-per-minute cost made for an eye-watering squeeze on the subscribers’ wallets. A global audience paid just under £40 per head for the fight, and the short finish meant a cost of more than £26 per minute for the viewer - the worst value of any PPV fight.
TOP TEN PPV FIGHTS
Floyd Mayweather Junior vs Saul Alvarez, 2013: £97m
Floyd Mayweather Junior vs Oscar De La Hoya, 2007: £88m
Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson, 2002: £72m
Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield, 1997: £64m
Mike Tyson vs Peter McNeeley, 1995: £62m
Floyd Mayweather vs Miguel Cotto, 2012: £60m
Evander Holyfield vs George Foreman, 1991: £51m
Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield 2, 1996: £50m
Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Moseley, 2011: £48m
Oscar De La Hoya vs Felix Trinidad, 1991: £41m
Stats provided by Sports Interaction