Floyd Mayweather Jr. is deciding whether to stage perhaps the final fight of his career on CBS instead of the more profitable pay-per-view platform, several sources confirmed.
However, a source close to Mayweather told the Daily News on Tuesday the idea of fighting on free television on Sept. 12 remains a long shot, in part because of the challenges of selling ad space on such short notice.
The more likely scenario is that Mayweather fights on Showtime PPV in September with Andre Berto the leading candidate to face him.
?He?s going over his options at the moment,? the source said.
The unpredictable Mayweather is expected to formally announce the fight next week, the source said.
While nothing has been finalized, the option of fighting on free TV is viewed as a shrewd business move from a public relations perspective – those close to Mayweather say – even if it may not be practical at the moment.
Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao seemed toxic in the eyes of fans after their disappointing fight on May 2, which Mayweather won handily.
?What better way to make it up to the fans after the Pacquiao fight than fighting on CBS?? another source said.
The source close to Mayweather said the pound-for-pound king was also motivated by the splash he would make by ending his career on free television.
Mayweather has indicated his fight in September – the final of his lucrative six-fight deal with Showtime/CBS – will be his last, though there is speculation he will fight on.
?There?s something to be said for going out on free TV on your last fight,? the source said. ?It?s a different experience.?
But because of the differences in the money involved between fighting on Showtime PPV and CBS, Mayweather (48-0, 26 knockouts) on free TV is a dark-horse option, the source suggested.
Mayweather?s last fight with Pacquiao drew a record 4.4 million buys on PPV and earned him a purse of more than $200 million.
Fighting on CBS would assure him of a much smaller payday.
Mayweather is rumored to have a guarantee of around $30 million per fight in his Showtime deal, though a network source said the deal was ?flexible? and would allow him to fight on CBS.
A bigger obstacle to putting the fight on CBS, an industry source said, is determining how much advertising revenue can be hoarded for the fight on such short notice since that is where the income is generated.
Most of the commercials for fall programming are sold back in May with most companies? ad budgets already depleted, the source said.
?Rarely do you have an event of this magnitude that you hear about in two or three months? notice,? the source said. ?If there were nine months to plan the event, it would be a different ball game (in terms of selling ads).?
Mayweather?s apparent picking of Berto as his last opponent has also surprised some, who don?t view a fight between the two as a competitive match-up.
An industry source said that Mayweather has been stung by media criticism over his selection of Berto.
The gossip site TMZ.com reported on Monday that a deal was already in place for Mayweather to face Berto.
But that announcement was premature, sources said, even if Berto remains the favorite to take on the 38-year-old Mayweather.
A source close to Berto said that Berto (30-3, 23 knockouts) hasn?t been officially notified he will fight Mayweather next.
No matter what happens, Mayweather has a lot to think about.
?I just don?t see how he fights on pay-per-view after everyone?s talking about him fighting on free TV,? said an industry source. ?There would be a lot of disappointed people if he does that.?
