The reported Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao super fight happening in Dubai or Abu Dhabi early next year won’t happen unless the sponsors are doing it to promote investments or tourism in their country and not to profit from it.
For the stakeholders to even consider the reported offer by the UAE-connected New Jersey-based promoter, he should be prepared to put in the amount equivalent to the value of three million pay-per-view (PPV) buys that the fight will likely generate if the fight is held in the US. Mayweather’s highest PPV record was 2.5 million from his fight against Oscar de la Hoya in 2007. It is estimated that his proposed fight against Pacquiao will generate about three million buys.. Assuming that the cost of one PPV unit is $70.00, the resulting amount for the three million buys would be $210 million. Added to this amount is the gate and revenues from commercial sponsors with substantial part going to expenses in promoting the fight and payment for television coverage and a host of other promotional and operating expenses. HBO and CBS/Showtime is reportedly partnering to cover the event on PPV. A huge portion of the revenue will go to these two giant TV networks and obviously this will have to be factored in the determination of the the financial viability of the project. The report says M. Akbar Muhammad, chairman of Akbar Productions, LLC of New Jersey in partnership with a UAE-based boxing promoter, has dangled the amount of $110 million which is just about half of the expected revenues from PPV. Akbar has worked with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions for over 12 years as Senior Vice-President and is reportedly representing a UAE investment group that is offering up to $200 million to bring the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight to Dubai. “I’ve been instructed by the group to do whatever it takes to bring this long-awaited and eagerly anticipated fight to fruition,” Muhammad told boxingscene.com But until Akbar comes up with a definitive proposal that is workable and financially viable, doing the fight in the US would still be the best option. Historically, fights held overseas including Top Rank’s last two fights in China, do not generate high PPV sales compared to the fights held in the US. While Akbar is working feverishly with his UAE connections, Arum has reportedly sounded off Cowboys Stadium owner Jerry Jones to prepare for a possible Mayweater-Pacquiao showdown in his stadium (now AT&T Stadium) which can sit over 50,000 people. Mayweather has made known that he is comfortable fighting in Las Vegas but his favorite venue, the MGM Grand Garden Arena can only accommodate about 15,000 people. The Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight could attract more than 50,000 people and there is no venue in Las Vegas that can accommodate such number. This leaves the AT & T stadium the most suitable venue for the fight if it is finally held in the US.
