Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather and eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao will continue to dominate boxing’s pay-per-view (PPV) market despite possible losses in their upcoming fights. Mayweather is set to fight on May 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada against either British star Amir Khan or Marcos Maidana of Argentina while Pacquiao is scheduled to face Timothy Bradley, also at the MGM Grand on April 12. Mayweather and Pacquiao are coming off impressive wins over their respective opponents last year with Mayweather beating Canelo Alvarez of Mexico while Pacquiao dominated Brandon Rios in Macau, China last Nov. 23. Mayweather remains a top attraction in the PPV market with a five-year average of sales of 1.6 million per year while Pacquiao is a distant second with 1.0 million average per year.
Mayweather fought six times from 2009 to 2013 while Pacquiao fought nine times for the same period. Other top PPV stars include Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather and Pacquiao possess opposing qualities in character that make them attractive to PPV buyers or subscribers. Fans refer to Mayweather as the “trash talker” while Pacquiao carries a clean-role model image ? qualities that are contrasting ? yet these references or tags sell in the PPV market. While either one or both of them may actually lose in their upcoming fights, it is almost certain that they will remain top PPV attractions in their succeeding fights because of their large fan base and their own inherent abilities to promote the fight. Pacquiao is the top HBO PPV star while Mayweather has his own six-fight contract with CBS/Showtime.
� Steve Marcus / Reuters, Reuters Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. celebrates his victory over Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Like this image Currently, Mayweather is the highest-paid athlete in the world based on Sports Illustrated and Forbes reports in 2012 and 2013. Pacquiao, who dabbles in acting, singing and politics, was ranked 8th in the Forbes’ list of Highest Paid Athletes from the second half of 2009 to the first half of 2010. Mayweather is committed to complete his $200 million six-fight contract with Showtime by next year if he fights twice this year and next while Pacquiao said he intends to retire after three more fights.
