CHICAGO ? Before facing Manny Pacquiao last May 2 in what was dubbed as the ?Fight of the Century,? Floyd Mayweather, according to a report by Thomas Hauser of SB Nation, took an IV of saline and vitamins banned under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. Obviously, the explosive report opened a Pandora?s box of questions. Did the intravenous fluids give Mayweather an unfair advantage over Pacquiao? Did the intravenous fluids enhance Mayweather?s May 2 performance as it relates to speed, reflex and stamina? Is this an isolated case, or has the self-proclaimed ?best ever? done the same in prior fights to get a leg up in the competition? I can?t say and wont pass evil judgment, either. After all, it?s quite possible that the IV was administered only to address hydration and fatigue issues, not to stack the deck on Mayweather?s favor.. Still, the report amounts to bad publicity for Mayweather, who has been besieged by several allegations of domestic battery in years past, including one that forced him to serve a two-month stint at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas in 2012. Since then, it?s been business as usual atop the ring for the world?s highest paid athlete who, according to Forbes.com, cashed ?cumulative earnings of $425 million entering 2015.? But business has been a little tepid lately. According to a CBS report, some 2,100 tickets are still available for Mayweather?s upcoming fight versus Andre Berto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday, September 12. Besides the slow moving tickets, the forecast for the pay-per-view event ($64.99 for standard definition and $74.99 for high definition) is dim, no thanks to the quality of Mayweather?s opposition. For a fight that is supposedly his last, one that will catapult him into the history pages and equal the 49-0 record of iconic heavyweight Rocky Marciano, Mayweather cherry picked a fragile opponent in lieu of a name contender that could have provided fistic fireworks and potentially ruin his retirement plans. Although he is a former world champion, Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) is now a beat up 32-year old welterweight who has lost 3 of his last 6 fights, including a 12th round TKO at the hands of Jesus Soto Karass at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas last July 27, 2013. The odds makers are taking Berto so lightly that one sports book pegged him as a plus 1200 underdog, which means a bet of $100 on him will net a $1200 payday. Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs), on the other hand, is a prohibitive minus 3200 favorite, which means you?d have to bet $3200 on him to win $100. Fortunately for Mayweather, any kind of publicity ? good or bad ? is always good in sports entertainment and show business. Maybe the conversations on the reportedly ?illegal? intravenous fluids prior to the Pacquiao fight will spur tickets sales and pay-per-view buys for the Berto bout. Maybe not.
Either way, the 38-year old Floyd will make no less than $32 million against Berto, according to the International Business Times. Like always, Money Mayweather will laugh his way to the bank.
