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Floyd Mayweather couldn't have a more appropriate nickname: Money. His upcoming match against Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas is not simply being billed as the "Fight of the Century." It's also heralded as "the richest single occasion in the history of the sport" because of the astonishing amount of money that it will generate.
“To put it lightly, it’s complete mayhem—the demand for tickets, hotel rooms, transportation and nightclub VIP tables,” the owner of one Vegas luxury concierge service told the Las Vegas Sun. And the money and mayhem spread well beyond Sin City, as these figures attest:
#1, #11
Ranking of Mayweather (pro career boxing record: 47-0) and Pacquiao (57-5-2), respectively, on Forbes' World's Highest-Paid Athletes list, with Mayweather recently earning $105 million per year and Pacquiao pulling in $41 million purely from fight earnings, not endorsements.
$20
Price of admission for a viewing party of the night's boxing matches at the Mohegan Sun in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut is charging $35 for entrance to a viewing party in its 5,300-seat ballroom. At last check, tickets were already sold out at both venues via TicketMaster, and general admission prices—for watching boxing on TV, remember—have been listed at $70 to well over $200 at secondary resale sites such as StubHub.
60-40
The revenue split between the boxers, with the lion's share going to the undefeated Mayweather. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao could earn over $100 million apiece from the fight.
74
Combined age of the two fighters—Mayweather (38), Pacquiao (36)—leading to complaints that the match is taking place when both combatants are well past their primes.
$90
The pay-per-view price for getting to watch the fight at home, via Comcast and other providers. That's for standard-definition viewing. Depending on your operator, it might cost $10 extra to see the match in HD. It's the most expensive pay-per-view fight ever; previously, the priciest PPV boxing match was $65 for Mayweather's 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez.
100
Amount, in Phillipine pesos, that Manny Pacquiao earned in boxing matches as a boy in his native country. That translates to roughly $2.25 in US dollars today.
100
Number of cars purchased over the years by Floyd "Money" Mayweather at a single car dealership in Las Vegas. Mayweather has bought 16 Rolls-Royces and three Bugattis, the latter of which cost at least $2 million apiece. The dealership says he pays for his cars in cash, sometimes carted in with duffel bags.
500
The frustratingly small estimated number of tickets that was actually available for sale directly to the public, according to Yahoo. Tickets only went on sale as of Thursday, April 23, and the vast majority went to ticket brokers, who could mark them up and sell them at prices far higher than face value. Unsurprisingly, sketchy ticket scams promising seats to the match on speculation began surfacing months ago, even though nothing was officially on sale until very recently.
$1,500 to $10,000
Range of face value ticket prices to see the fight in person at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
$1,600
The minimum room rate at the MGM Grand on the weekend of the fight. Soon after the fight date was announced, rates at the host site rose $900 to $1,000 per night. In fact, all hotels in Las Vegas are charging a huge premium for rooms during the weekend. For instance, the Wynn Las Vegas was offering rates of $950 on rooms that normally cost $250, while the low-budget Circus Circus, normally available for under $60, was charging $284 per night. The vast majority of hotels in the area are requiring a two-night stay as well.
$74 million
Revenues expected just from ticket sales to the fight—an amount that trumps the most recent Super Bowl ($60 million) even though the football venue held four times as many seats.
$80 to $100 Million
Total amount that gamblers are expected to bet at Nevada sports books on the fight.
$400 Million+
Estimated amount of total revenues the fight will generate, including sponsorships and pay-per-view and foreign licensing fees.
Priceless
Value of the prize being offered to the winner of the boxing match by a Las Vegas strip club. The club has promised that the victor of the fight will receive "Free Couch Dances for Life," plus a $500,000 Dom Perignon package and a topless "foxy boxing" match held in his honor. Four strippers are ready to get the winner's name tattooed on their bodies as well.