On Wednesday it was official…
Pound-for-pound king and WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. will rematch resurgent Marcos Maidana on September 13. (Image courtesy of Showtime)
Mayweather said during an interview with LaTen Media before Sunday night’s BET Awards that he would be facing Maidana again. “September 13, back to business, Marcos Maidana-Floyd Mayweather, part II,” Mayweather said.
“And then in May, I’m fighting in May and I’ll have a big surprise for ya’ll.”
Regardless of what Mayweather is planning for next spring, his first prior decry should have been no surprise to anyone. Aside from Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Miguel Cotto, who were written off early as likely opponents, the Maidana rematch is the most lucrative, most high-profile fight for Team Mayweather and Showtime.
Off the heels of September’s record-setting buyrate of 2.2 million for Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez in September 2013, it’s believed May 3rd’s PPV fight card headlined by Floyd Mayweather vs Marcos Maidana generated only 900,000 buys, falling well short of the hopes and expectations of Showtime and Golden Boy Promotions.
So will pay-per-view revenue for the fight card headlined by Mayweather vs Maidana 2 surpass PPV receivables generated from the May 3rd card?
Probably.
Floyd Mayweather was anywhere from an 11 to 16-1 favorite the first time. Although Maidana was considered an elite fighter with a fan-friendly style, he seemingly simply couldn’t overcome the odds in the minds of casual fight fans whose interest in the bout seemed to wane after oddsmakers started to chime in.
Expect PPV numbers to rise… Regardless of the odds.
Fans will want to know: Can Maidana topple the iconic Mayweather when given a second chance? Has Floyd, in fact, lost a step? He looked lethargic at times in the first bout. Was the first fight merely a showdown between a legend who had an off night and a rising, but inferior, opponent who was ‘hitting on all cylinders.’ How good is Marcos Maidana?
While the rematch won’t break any records, look for it to generate roughly 1.2 million buys.
