Well, it’s time for our weekly update on Pacquiao-Mayweather talks and I must say I’m happy we’re currently on more familiar ground.
The current state of affairs seems to have Manny Pacquiao accepting Floyd Mayweather’s demands for more stringent drug testing, but refusing to budge on the purse split.
During the first round of negotiations both sides quickly settled on an even split. I was a bit surprised it had happened so quickly but the drug testing protocols became the major issue.
Now, in the wake of his successful pay-per-view against Shane Mosley, Mayweather seems to be insisting on the larger share. Mayweather thinks he is the bigger draw and therefore entitled to the monetary reward.
He has a point. Mayweather has consistently outperformed Pacquiao as a driver of PPV sales; the difference hasn’t been huge, but it has been significant.
Mayweather is likely arguing that while Pacquiao sold an impressive 700k PPVs in his most recent fight against Joshua Clottey, Mayweather sold double that number against Shane Mosley.
The mitigating factor, of course, is the opposition. Clottey was a placeholder while Mosley has been a boxing name for a decade. In his previous fight against Miguel Cotto, Pacquiao sold a slightly smaller, but comparable number.
All of which is to say we appear to be reaching a sticking point. 60-40, as sources indicate Mayweather wants, is clearly impossible. Pacquiao would never agree to that number, nor should he, particularly after accepting Mayweather’s testing demands.
But might Pacquiao need to accept some nominally smaller share. Say something like the 52-48 split he garnered against Ricky Hatton? That seems more likely.
It’s about ego between these two, but at least this time I’m grateful that it’s also about money. It’s an area that can be quantified and understood.
Pacquiao seemed to come off worse in the American media during their first negotiations – a product of our severe steroid culture – but if Mayweather insists on this huge monetary gulf I have to imagine he will suffer the consequences this time. His persona is “money,” but there is a limit.
As Mayweather always says, “If it makes dollars, it makes sense.” These negotiations seem likely to be similarly painful, but at least they’re on the level
